Alana Amram is a little Gram Parsons honky-tonk and has a slight Iris Dement-warble in her voice when she sings. She’s slender and tall and her backing band, The Rough Gems, compliment her simple guitar playing. She’s an urban cowboy with well-crafted lyrics, and she’s familiar with the country-rock handbook. I think most people would like to compare any young attractive country-rock woman to Emmylou Harris, but Amram is a little rougher than the “Boulder To Birmingham” beauty. Not in her looks, but in her sound. Her voice has a little more punch to it and the sound has a little more rock in it. She’s more Coat of Many Colors era Dolly, but even that is a bad attempt at making a comparison.
Last night, Alana played the Mercury Lounge in front of Witchcraft, a band that doesn’t seem fitting for Alana’s music, but hey, who’s asking questions, right? She played a few songs by herself before her band joined her on stage. She ripped through a slew of originals and one traditional song, “Blackest Crow.” Her set was quick, but I have a real good feeling that we’ll all be seeing a lot more of this up and coming star. The next time you go see Lucinda or Gillian on tour, you might see Amram filling in an opening slot.
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