I saw Casey Chambers at an outdoor concert this summer and had never heard of her. When the concert was over, I bought all three of her CD's. In a world where there are few musical surprises, this is a winner. Australia thinks she's great...Platinum level. I think they're right!

This album brings to heart what a singer/song writer is in the emergence of who they are. Heard "Captain" on 88.5 FM WXPN Philadelphia, and I was hooked. The Flower is a touching song for any mood! If you are a fan of female singer/songwriters, this is a good one to get. There are a few tunes that leave you wanting more, "You Drive the Car", but in all the talent is there!!!

Australian Kasey Chambers has a fair amount of twang to it, but she's not a dyed in the wool country singer. I could easily picture the Counting Crows singing some of these tunes (the title track,"Mr. Baylis"). Those are counterbalanced with numbers that indulge in steel ("Southern Kind of Life") and fiddle ("We're All Gonna Die Someday").

Vocally, the strongest resemblance is to Julie Miller (whose hubby appears on quite a few tracks and makes an appearance herself on the title track) but there's some traces of Iris DeMent at times and maybe Sheryl Crow here and there.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"This Flower" is a tender love ode offering a flower as a token of Chambers' soul. ("I should give you every rose that ever grew..") Her brother Nash adds a nice harmony vocal. "These Pines" is a double entendre lyric that uses "pines" as both a metaphor and in its literal emotional meaning. It suggests that Chambers is both a fish out of water in her present surroundings ("These pines are not the ones that I'm used to/They won't carry me home when I cry") and feeling mismatched in the intensity of love in her relationship ("It's quiet and I don't hear nothing/'Cos the wind doesn't blow through these trees"). "The Hard Way" is probably the most traditional sounding tune here. It could be a classic 70s era weeper. "Don't Go" is a fragile plea from Chambers and Rod McCormack's acoustic. As wonderful as it is here, I can't help thinking how it would have been improved if Julie Miller had sung harmony on THIS one. It's good but that would have been spinetingling. Boot stomper "Last Hard Bible" showcases Chambers a cappella on the intro. The feisty "We're All Gonna Die Someday" is a secular hymn observing "If they want to kiss my a** well they better do it fast/'Cos we're all gonna die someday".

LOWS:
"Cry Like a Baby" is fairly glossy, sounding maybe like one of Patty Loveless' better mainstream cuts. Not bad but nothing special. Divorce anthem "You Got the Car" is another one that sounds somewhat Nashville-ian.

BOTTOM LINE:
It's tuneful, the melodies are decent, and it's hummable. It's better than 95% of what hits the country charts (at least in the U.S.) these days. That having been said, there's only occasional moments I say "Wow!". If you're an alt-country fan, you'll probably love it, but the appeal beyond that may be a bit limited. Julie Miller fans may also enjoy her.

3 1/2 stars