Imogen Clark – Choking on Fuel
This showcase gets off to a spirited start with “All Hard Feelings,” & if Imogen Clark was shooting for a mainstream hit tune, she landed it right out of the starting gate. Without sounding too Country, she possesses a wonderfully bright vocal timbre.
In the ’60s, some country hits penetrated the rock/pop echelon with country tunes. Ms. Clark (vocals/harmony/glockenspiel/piano) would’ve been right at home with a Sue Thompson (“Paper Tiger”), Sandy Posey (“I Take It Back”), Merilee Rush (“Reach Out”), & Jackie De Shannon (“Don’t Turn Your Back On Me”) contributions.
She doesn’t let go of that momentum. “The Art Getting Through” hits quite convincingly, & Imogen has gutsy approaches to her material that always sound inviting. With 9 tunes, Choking on Fuel (Dropped May 30/Independent), the octane was all produced by Jeremy Dylan (acoustic guitar) & Imogen (with some songs produced in tandem with others).
The tracks were recorded in Nashville, L.A., Sydney, Australia, & London. By the 3rd track “Squinters” — a ballad, she scores with a pensive tune that’s well-arranged, different, creative & consistently good. Ms. Clark is from Australia & now calls Nashville home.
It’s that geographical difference that may be responsible for the refreshing elements in her showcase. I found the same richness & creativity in New Zealand’s Donna Dean. Country star Rhonda Vincent must have heard the same thing since Rhonda recorded, & hit with Donna’s tune “Destination Life.” Imogen has many good tunes in her collection as well & doesn’t compromise her Country approach when she rocks out.
Imogen’s tunes have clever storytelling & her vocals have clarity. While “The Last of Me” is a little too Shania Twain for my taste, it’s nevertheless well-written, & performed. She avoids the pitfalls of too many mainstream Country artists that lean heavily into pop-rock. This has its catchiness tightly woven in the melody.
On “If Your Heart Never Breaks,” she’s in good company with Tommy Emmanuel (acoustic guitar) & Jim Lauderdale (harmony vocal) while the Sheryl Crow chestnut “If It Makes You Happy” is well-arranged with good piano & Hammond by Rob Vincent — vocally, it’s the only misstep. Way over-produced. But Imogen Clark is an excellent artist. She’s worth checking out.
Highlights – “All Hard Feelings,” “The Art Getting Through,” “Squinters,” “The Last of Me,” “If I Want In,” & “If Your Heart Never Breaks.”
Musicians: Blake O’Connor (slide guitar/harmony), Mickey Raphael (harmonica). Michael Carpenter (acoustic guitar/12-string electric guitar/Hammond organ/dobro), Sinead Burgess, Sam Hawksley & Georgia Maq (harmony vocals), Bryan Sutton & Mike Bloom (acoustic guitars), Michael Rojas (piano/electric piano/Hammond), Hunter Beasley (mandolin/harmony), Jesse O’Neill (acoustic guitar/harmony), Jono B. Smith & Naomi Jones (fiddles/harmony), Brennan Fell (double bass/harmony), Zoe Hauptmann (bass), Ben Allernan & Bo Koster (piano), Ella Hooper (vocal/harmony on “If I Want In”), Kezia Gill (vocal/harmony final cut) & Eric Slick (drums).
Color image courtesy of the website gallery. Cover photo courtesy of Michelle Grace Hunder. CD @ Bandcamp & https://imogenclarkmusic.com/
