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.

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"):

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.