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from Houston Chronicle: December 23, 2005
by ANDREW DANSBY
Smoky, sultry, swingy and sweet, Amy LaVere's debut album is an acoustic gem that prances about in a weird netherworld, somewhere between torch, country, vintage folk and other earthy stuff.
Opener Day Like Any has a nice woodsy jazz vibe, punctuated by LaVere's chirpy warble and strong backing by Squirrel Nut Zipper Jimbo Mathus on guitar and Memphis legend Jim Dickinson on piano. Leaving shuffles along with honky-tonk spunk.
Often carrying seven or eight instrumentalists (including herself on doghouse bass) on this album, LeVere strips down to a trio on the album's best cut, Never Been Sadder, with its persistent beat by Paul Taylor; and on the ballad Innocent Girl, a tune that plays to her quivering vocals masterfully.
The poppiest cut, Last Night, doesn't quite jive with the rest of the album, but a coy, confident vocal puts it over.
Tastefully picked and expressively sung, This World Is Not My Home isn't going to shake you into believerdom, but it's still one of those pleasant, genreless records that sounds like it was recorded in a dusty room with old-fashioned microphones. It's decidedly Southern music that enchantingly celebrates disparate sounds and styles.
