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Kim Richey has to be the least known of all the great female artists appearing on this countdown. In case you're not familiar with this fine singer-songwriter, she has a heavenly voice that perfectly suits the songs she composes. Quite often they're about the sadder side of love.  Richey is considered a country artist, but because she lacks the sometimes off-putting twangy guitars and southern accent - she's from Ohio - listeners who don't favor country music may find her appealing. Her later efforts have almost no country in them at all. On her second and most successful album, Bitter Sweet ,   Richey opens   with "Every River."  The rollicking beat and her tight electric band blend well with the lyrics to make a perfect song.  For the uninitiated it's a great introduction to her long career.  On "Every River" Richey reassures her lover that she'll always be there for him even if he has doubts after being spurned by...

I always believed that Kim Richey would live up to her early promise because on her satisfying, self-titled debut and her excellent follow up, Bitter Sweet , Richey’s guitar based pop-rock and country songs were ear fulfilling experiences. Without pumping up the volume her songs packed enough punch to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, she didn’t continue down that enjoyable path. Instead, she became a singer-songwriter whose music gradually became more polished while losing her country-rock roots in the process. Her next three releases, Glimmer , Rise , and Chinese Boxes all had some very nice moments even if the albums did not reach the heights of her first two discs. Richey’s songs on Wreck Your Wheels are all about coping, lost love, and unrequited love. This was true of her early CDs too but they were buoyed by brighter arrangements. But now, the singer, who is always in fine voice, seems to have lost the ability to write compelling melodies because these tunes are...

Kim Richey is, and probably always will be, one of my favorite female singer-songwriters. Richey's appeal lies with her ability to use her beautifully strong voice to easily communicate her equally strong melodies. In addition, her songs almost always feature a full band that help make all five of her CDs well arranged affairs. This is true whether the song is a rocker, a country tune, or a ballad. All of the producers who have worked with Richey seem to understand her completely including Giles Martin, who produced Chinese Boxes , her first CD after a five year absence. (Martin's very famous father, George, produced The Beatles). Richey's first two discs, her self-titled debut and her masterwork, Bitter Sweet , are similar sounding upbeat country albums. Then, beginning with 1999's Glimmer , Richey began traveling the road of a singer-songwriter while steering herself away from country music. Each subsequent release has sounded entirely different from the one that p...

After 1997's terrific Bitter Sweet I extolled the virtues of Kim Richey's singing, songwriting and live performances.  Richey's third album, Glimmer , is both a departure from her first two albums and a major disappointment. Her earlier work hinted she considered herself a member of the contemporary country sound. Instrumentally, her music featured clean sounding rock and roll arrangements and great musicianship that exhibited little of the country twang disliked by more urbane rock and pop music lovers. For those unfamiliar with Richey's music, her first two CDs remind one of a more conservative Mary Chapin Carpenter with a sweeter sound and less edgy lyrics. What went wrong on this disc? Most of the rock and roll is gone. Only on "The Way It Never Was" and "Strength In You" does Richey approach the style and quality of her earlier work. Both would fit in nicely on either of her first two discs. Most of the rest is bogged down with synthesize...