Buffy Lawson is gifted with the powerful voice and the right degree of twang that’s needed to make it in mainstream contemporary country music. No stranger to Nashville, she made her mark through the years with stints varying from back-up singer to staff writer to part of the country duo Bomshel. As a songwriter, she has penned songs for such heavy hitters as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. On I’m Leaving You For Me, Lawson draws upon life lessons to produce an album of intensely personal songs, songs of heartache and hope, remorse and regret.
Despite the fact that I am not generally a fan of contemporary mainstream country, I was taken with the power of Lawson’s pipes and the open honesty of her songs. The bluesy Bread on the Table, with its sassy do-right-woman attitude, backed by a swinging horn section, is a standout track on the album, as is the darkly seductive Runnin’. The confessional Much of a Lady, with its crying steel guitar, is deliciously reminiscent of honky-tonk angels of the golden age of country. Personally, I would love to hear that track sped up just a bit and given the full honky-tonk treatment.
Buffy Lawson’s I’m Leaving You For Me will hit all the right notes for fans of mainstream country music, and it has just enough diversity to satisfy those of us who long for the old days of country blues and opry.
