Prairie Fire
is
Cris Williamson
's Western album, an appropriate theme for this daughter of the Great Plains. The title track and
"Grandmother's Land"
treat Native American topics;
"Man-Camp"
is set "out here in the wilds of Wyoming";
"Colorado Dustbowl Days"
(which has a
reggae
arrangement, oddly enough) harks back to the time of
Woody Guthrie
;
"Tsunami,"
the album's catchiest and most driving rocker, brings the West to its logical conclusion, in the
new age
trendiness of Los Angeles; and the
country
-tinged
"Last Chance Saloon"
brings the album to an end.
Williamson
also finds space for some lovely
ballads
: the piano-led
"Don't Lose Heart"
encourages a lover, while
"Suitcase Full of Sorrow"
uses an acoustic guitar for its lead instrument as the lyrics describe a romantic departure.
is not one of
's best albums, but it has some excellent songs and performances, and its subject matter has an obvious connection to the artist's own background. ~ William Ruhlmann