Thanks to so much homogenized music populating the airwaves, country-pop has somewhat of a bad name—but it needn’t be that way, as this record by Richmond, Virginia, singer-songwriter Janet Martin proves. The 12 tracks on Cloud Cover encompass a variety of styles and genres. Tammy Rogers’ spirited fiddling turns an ordinary pop song into a fine rootsy tune in “One Heart”, while the title track calls to mind the folksy pop of the Kennedys. The driving beat of “Heartbreak Memory” leads well both musically and thematically into the next song, “Magic Touch”, as fine a western swing number as any east of the Mississippi. The Louisiana influence of “Cajun Lane” is reminiscent of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “Down At The Twist And Shout”. There are even a couple bluesy tracks, thanks to fellow Richmonder Terry Garland’s contributions. And. Cracker/House of Freaks member Johnny Hott lends a hand to a song or two himself.
If only the lyrics had so much variety. As noble and refreshing it is to hear optimism from Martin and her sometimes co-writer Mic Muller rather than whining, there’s only so much “I’ve loved, I’ve lost, but now I’m in charge” that one can enjoy at one sitting. In addition, Martin needs to realize the limitations of her voice. The more melodic, the better she sounds, but her voice just isn’t suited for the Etheridgesque calling out she tries to pull off on “If It’s Love”.
