Akre-monious debut:

The Big G

Record review by Clark Humphrey for The Stranger, 8/30/95

Carrie Akre has many loyal fans who stuck with her after the crash-n’-burn of her first band Hammerbox (shortly after their major-label debut album). Her fans are right; Akre’s got an amazing voice and a keen sense for the heartbreaks and frustrations of everyday existence.

The eponymous debut of her new ensemble Goodness (Y) shows Akre reaching out beyond Hammerbox’s full-bore-center rock assault in search of a wider range of sounds and moods. On several tracks she succeeds brilliantly. “For Lovers’ Sake” is a catchy, understated neo-power-pop minor classic delivered in a brisk near-whisper. “Between You & I” and “Viva Le High” are breathless heartmelting ballads. And “Labor Day” is a breezy goodbye ditty reminiscent of various British new wave singers’ variations on Motown.

Many of the disc’s other eight songs start out intimate and intriguing, then accelerate into vehicles for Akre’s older, bluesier rock-out style. It works the first one or two times (“Superwise,” “Smoking”) but later comes close to getting repetitious. Akre and company (Danny Newcomb, Garth Reeves, Fila McGann, and Easy/Give vet Chris Friel) maybe oughta consider alternating between more all-soft and all-hard songs in future sets. Fortunately, the untitled bonus track delivers a blast of Hammerbox-style righteous noise unfettered by opening niceties.

That caveat aside, Goodness reveals Akre’s tremendous growth as a vocal stylist and songwriter. This disc is already better than many of the rockin’-chanteuse products touted in Entertainment Weekly. And in its best moments, it holds the promise of what could solidify into a pop-rock band of mind-blowing potential.

(Latter-day addendum: Goodness soon signed to a major label, which reissued this debut disc, then dropped the band shortly thereafter. The band has self-released A Five-Song EP while working on a new full-length disc and a new record deal.)