Best Laid Plans - Sandra McCracken

...the choruses, which work the best of any song on the album. Get past the mid-section and she ramps up a notch or two, bringing this single to an enjoyable climax. When I first heard this song, I didn't catch the religious references much - now I know they're there, I'm still not bothered, it works just fine either way.

"I have learned to bend and break without leavin' a mess" - "No More Tears" is a rousing tale ...
..."500 Miles" is arguably the best song on the entire CD. The intro begins with a 6-string acoustic guitar reminiscent of Melanie Doane's "There Is No Beautiful", but that's just lulling you into a false sense of security. Once Sandra's bouncy-sounding vocals kick in, you're in for the best ride of the album, the simplest yet catchiest number here and something that'll worm its way into your subconscious straight away. Even the ... more

Back in the autumn of 2004, a song called "Last Goodbye" got some fairly hefty airplay on daytime Radio 2, despite the fact that it was written by what was at the time (and still is) a largely unknown singer-songwriter this side of the pond. At the time, I really liked this song but there was practically no information given about the artist herself beyond the track itself. A cursory search on Amazon produced the album "Last Goodbye" was taken from, Sandra McCracken's third solo work, "Best Laid Plans", released on the UK label Shell rather than one of the US independents - this may explain why a song from an obscure American artist got decent daytime airplay across here.

Despite being labelled by Ciao as country, it's nearly as contemporary as it gets, falling within the current raft of American female artists that straddle the alt-folk/Americana/adult alternative labels. Whilst Sandra McCracken's first two albums (1999's "The Crucible" and 2001's "Gypsy Flat Road") leaned heavily upon Christian themes and values, these are much less pronounced on her third release, a much more eclectic mix of songs and subjects. It doesn't take much exposure to realise that her voice is both delicate and convincing at the same time, whilst on occasions you could be forgiven for thinking a Sheryl Crow CD has popped itself on the player whilst your back was turned - like countrywoman Alice Peacock, who seems to have settled into a similar niche, there's a remarkable similarity at times with Ms Crow's voice, especially in the latter's more introspective moments, so much so that's it's uncanny - and even the guitar accompaniment at times dredges up memories of the more famous artist's "Wildflower" album. On her own merits, Sandra McCracken demonstrates a good range with her vocals, breathy at one end of the scale and painfully emotive at the other, whilst she's supported by an impressive if understated set of musicians (including the wonderful Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls on backing vocals - just like one of Alice Peacock's albums) who compliment rather than compete for attention.

There are eleven tracks on "Best Laid Plans" (a lyric from "Last Goodbye") - the artist wrote "Plenty", "No More Tears" and "Age After Age", whilst the others are collaborations (apart from the cover of "Where Do You Go To My Lovely"):

01. Plenty
02. Last Goodbye
03. No More Tears
04. Find You Out (What Matters)
05. 500 Miles
06. Where Do You Go To My Lovely
07. Took You For Granted
08. Sons Of Cain
09. Letters
10. Stay (Missing Evidence)
11. Age After Age

"You never gave your two-cent share" - "Plenty" is a fairly strong opening track though I've never managed to shake the feeling that it's a little meandering and can't quite make up its mind which way it wants to go. There's an odd gear shift between the first and second verses, a backtracking that doesn't sit quite right with me, plus whilst I know lines aren't necessarily meant to rhyme, these couple of verses don't seem to mesh at all. Sandra has, however, a great voice which soars about the criticism, and she redeems herself admirably by bringing the second half of the song to life with some wonderful pitch changes and emotive delivery. What accompaniment there is, is limited to piano and cello - listen to the lyrics and you suddenly realise that she's crafted one hell of a ballad about finally being driven to exit a one-sided relationship. It's just a pity the first minute or so seems so off-kilter.

"Trade all my best-laid plans" - "Last Goodbye" completely justifies the acquisition of this album, an eclectic number laced with references to redemption, rebirths and angels yet which works just as well as a straight-up pop song - so catchy is it that you're quite able to forget what it's actually about. Sandra doesn't need to wail or shout, yet she demonstrates an impressive range that compliments rather than tries to drown out the ever-present bass and drums. The verses are pleasantly augmented by hubby Derek Webb's backing vocals, but she's left to shine alone during the choruses, which work the best of any song on the album. Get past the mid-section and she ramps up a notch or two, bringing this single to an enjoyable climax. When I first heard this song, I didn't catch the religious references much - now I know they're there, I'm still not bothered, it works just fine either way.

"I have learned to bend and break without leavin' a mess" - "No More Tears" is a rousing tale complete with uplifting, practically Sheryl Crow-esque vocals and thumping support from bass and electric guitars, plus there's a bouzouki thrown in for good measure. Hubby pops up to lend a hand with the backing vocals but it's the arrangement that's top notch here, creating a piece that should in all honesty stick in the mind for ages. The hook is particularly catchy, especially when it's given greater prominence towards the end of the song. Whilst the greater proportion of the songs on "Best Laid Plans" are joint efforts, however, it's refreshing to see that Sandra has the ability to write a truly wonderful track on her own.

"You are to me a wildflower and a loaded gun" - "Find You Out" recounts the betrayals in a relationship yet there's an olive branch in the lyrics, all this delivered effortlessly by Sandra's gifted vocals, which sound homely and folk-inspired yet retain nuances you only discover after repeated listening. There's another killer hook here too, laced with interweaving harmonies and although as with many of the songs on the album - including the single "Last Goodbye" to a certain point - the choruses don't necessarily end up hugely distinguishing themselves - which I suspect is one of the reasons why Sandra McCracken isn't better known.

"But you can't see the end before you start" - "500 Miles" is arguably the best song on the entire CD. The intro begins with a 6-string acoustic guitar reminiscent of Melanie Doane's "There Is No Beautiful", but that's just lulling you into a false sense of security. Once Sandra's bouncy-sounding vocals kick in, you're in for the best ride of the album, the simplest yet catchiest number here and something that'll worm its way into your subconscious straight away. Even the chorus works well, and by the time you've heard that twice, you'll be singing along with the artist. Wisely, the guitars sit in the background and simply let her get on with it, her voice doing most of the work, showing just what an impressive vocalist she is. Apparently this is something of a crowd favourite at Sandra's live gigs and it's not too difficult to see why - despite loving "Last Goodbye", this is indeed my favourite track from the album.

"I've seen all your qualifications you got from the Sorbonne" - choosing to do a cover of Peter Sarstedt's almost-legendary "Where Do You Go To My Lovely" might on the face of it be either a really, really brave move or a complete flop. Once I got over the initial "what the?" reaction, I came to realise that Sandra managed to infuse her own brand of folksy, emotive delivery into this absolute hoot of a cover, despite her own multi-layered vocals that end up giving a slightly European slant to the main vocals - which was no doubt the intention. As a cover, it's completely fine, and the pretentious-sounding yet inspired lyrics still provide a source of whimsy. Gone is the accordion from the original but in its place are a string of French-sounding acoustic guitars that make you almost smell the onions and the Gauloises.

"Walk this crooked line" - "Sons Of Cain" scores with the inclusion of Irish whistles among the multi-layered backing vocals and instrumentation - it's simply another layer to enjoy during what is another cracking song. Despite the religious title it's really about the aftermath of a broken relationship, realising that you can't bring the past back, no matter how hard you try. Sandra's vocals become slightly more breathy here, yet they're never fragile.

"Worn like your shoes, I should let you sleep" - "Letters" starts with an impressive guitar intro, leading into a first pair of lines that could easily be delivered by Sheryl Crow and you couldn't tell the difference even if you tried. Said intro becomes the lead-in to each successive verse and is the real hook of this song - although the mid-section break comes close. Whilst her vocals remain as good as ever - and they're really impressive here, with a clarity and poise that more successful artists would no doubt kill for, the slide guitars easily deliver the best performance by a country mile.

Full lyrics for each song - even the cover - are provided on the inlay together with a few photos of the artist.

The performances on "Best Laid Plans" can't be faulted, and it's clear that Sandra McCracken is a gifted vocalist and song-writer. However, the lack of clearly-defined choruses at times and a couple of wayward-sounding songs probably prevented her from achieving greater success. Having said that, she's created an album that definitely warrants further investigation, and if you're brave enough to take the plunge, rewards the listener in so many different ways that they'll kick themselves for not finding out about her sooner.

I don't regret buying the album for a minute, and I'd have been musically poorer not having done so. 

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