Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters

Let's get it out of the way: this is a straightforward, mainstream country album. It's not old-time, it's not bluegrass and calling it Americana would only be trying to win inappropriate credibility points. It is country, and middle-of-the-road country at that. But it is done well. While the music is unadventurous, there's enough of a balance of warmth and wistfulness in the lyrics to make it interesting. Amanda Platt's big strength lies in her enviable way with turns of phrase: they are laser-guidedly perfect for country songs. The opener, ‘Birthday Song’, has gently introspective lyrics that reflect on age and personal happiness in that matter-of-fact, self-deprecating way that country listeners love. The songs are full of day-to-day observations – ‘that woman in the checkout queue’ – and homespun, greetings-card, self-help wisdom. On ‘What We’ve Got', Platt sings: ‘I can hear an old dog dreaming/His ragged breath is keeping me awake.’ It's these evocative little details that keep you listening even when the music gets too easy-listening. With the exception of the untypically stark, intimate and rootsy ‘Learning How to Love Him’, this is an album that seems tailor-made for BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris Country show, and would fit into the playlists of any US country radio station. It's cheesy stuff, frankly, but Amanda Platt & The Honeycutters have made an album that really ought to be massive, and they have every right to be annoyed if it doesn't sell by the truckload.