Heather Myles – Sweet Little Dangerous
Just Like Old Times, Heather Myles’ 1992 debut on HighTone, came out of nowhere and did its part to further the label’s reputation. It was a remarkably strong debut performance, and the fact that HighTone could discover new artists that matched the quality of their compilations and more established acts (Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Robert Cray, Dave Alvin) made quite a few people sit up and take notice.
Myles’ second effort, Untamed, was a good deal weaker. It had strong vocals, but no songs that matched the torch-fire of “Rum And Rodeo” or the drive of “Changes”. Sweet Little Dangerous is a live set from London’s Bottom Line and was recently released by Demon in Europe. It sits more on the country side of the country-rock fence, her originals blending in almost too nicely with covers of songs by Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, and George Jones. While it’s a competent, even exciting record, there isn’t much dangerous about it besides the Harley-and-leather cover photo. It sounds like a country music museum piece, magnificently played and preserved but lacking the earth and energy of the real thing.
The qualities that made her debut so exhilarating — there were flashes where she captured the wide-eyed fear of Gary Stewart’s fiercest drinking songs and the righteous firepower of Loretta at her best — just aren’t there. Sweet Little Dangerous isn’t a misstep, but perhaps a misguided release from one who’s demonstrated substantial talent in the past.