Debbie Hennessey – “No Longer Broken”

Sometimes the boulevard of broken dreams is really a highway of smashed hearts.

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Debbie Hennessey been down that road. But No Longer Broken is in the past tense; she’s looking in her rearview mirror, leaving the dashed hopes and bad shit behind. This is honest talk from a strong woman; however, the music is brimming with infectious pop/rock melodies even when the lyrics are tossing poison darts.

Hennessey epitomizes the rootsy side of Adult Album Alternative, essentially classic rock with a contemporary edge. While there are country flavors in the grooves, this is definitely a West Coast record, more Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne than Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. On “Every Song is You,” Hennessey’s voice recalls the plaintive croon of Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac while producer Jeffery Marshall’s riffs give the track a Wallflowers kick. The title cut offers a feeling of emotional uplift from all the heartache. “One touch from you/And I’m no longer broken,” Hennessey sings, and killer slide guitar makes it all go down soulful and easy.

When Hennessey lets it rip, she doesn’t hold back. “Liar, cheater,” she rages on in “You Can’t Unpull a Trigger.” The mean harmonica captures the anguish in her singing. On “Let Me Go,” Hennessey leaves her soul bare – and the listener breathless. Breaking up may be hard to do, but it’s worth it if it inspires albums as excellent as this.

Official Website: http://www.debbiehennessey.com