SHeDAISY Albums (6)
'Fortuneteller's Melody'
Release Date 3/14/2006
Tracks 12
Label Hollywood
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
More than ever, SHeDAISY occupies the middle ground between contemporary country and rootsy adult pop on Fortuneteller's Melody, walking the fine line that separates Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow. As a matter of fact, Crow co-wrote two of the songs on Fortuneteller's Melody, which gives a good indication of where the hearts of the Osborn sisters lie on their fourth album. This is music that's country in marketing and name; if judged by sound, it's much closer to the bright, sunny pop of Crow's C'Mon, C'Mon than it is to Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert, or even Shania at her poppiest. What's nice about this album is that SHeDAISY doesn't try to run away from their pop inclinations -- they embrace them, from the hard rock guitars that push "Kickin' In" along to the sweet, surging pop of the opening pair of "23 Days" and "Whatever It Takes." Although this record is not without its missteps, most egregiously on Jann Arden's "God Bless the American Housewife," which is too cute and calculating, there's no denying that this is not only the most comfortable and confident the trio has been on record, but it's also their most consistent set of songs. This is due to Kristyn Osborn, who co-writes all but one of the album's 12 songs with a variety of professional writers (the aforementioned "God Bless" is the only one she didn't pen), and she's wound up with a set that's both varied and solid, and SHeDAISY's best record yet. It may be too pop for some country fans, but for those who found Sheryl Crow's Wildflower a tad too subdued, this might be the follow-up to C'Mon, C'Mon they longed to hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
SHeDAISY's third official full-length is a product crafted finer than Waterford crystal. Like anything at the macro end of the gleaming Hat City sweatband, there's a heapin' helping of puffy filler. However, the harmonizing Osborn sisters have quite a bit of charm, and Sweet Right Here does showcase some fine songwriting from Kristyn. Led by the strong first single "Passenger Seat" (full of evocative lines like "Vinyl seat soft from the heat of the sun"), the album is a seamless mixture of themes and tempos familiar to the pop-country audience. Throughout, the sisters are a little bit of Dixie Chick sass, a lot of womanly Shania confidence ("360º of You" could be an outtake from Come On Over), and quite cognizant of Nashville's success with the lite rock crossover, as the piano ballad "Without a Sound" proves. (Is that Kristyn Osborn or Vanessa Williams singing?) Collaborations with songwriting pros like Connie Harrington for the aforementioned "Seat" and "360º" and John Shanks (the blah missing-you number "Come Home Soon") are nice enough, but it's Kristyn's work with Jason Deere that's the most resonant, retaining that stage-glitter sheen but gaining some purchase with lyrical bite and an adequate appropriation of time for the contributions of Kassidy and Kelsi Osborn. In this contempo country world, it's the details that matter, since the gaggle of studio cats backing you up ain't going to sound that much different on the next songbird's record. Proving that, the Osborns sound great when their harmonies do find a way to the top, and those little lyrical specifics make a whole barrel of difference. "Heard you're moving to Denver," Osborn sings in "Love Goes On," while the slick honky tonk of "Good Together (Bucket and Chicken)" references dancing outlaw and Appalachian fringe celebrity Jessco White. (The latter track also features some nice fiddle work from Jonathan Yudkin.) Sweet Right Here's best moment might be "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing." A sonic cousin to Tim McGraw's "Something Like That," SHeDAISY takes the song's message to heart, loosening up and having a good time instead of sticking mightily to Music City convention. "Ever found your last record in the bargain bin?" they sing, before "blah blah"ing their way through a pre-chorus (seriously!) and admitting that, behind closed doors, everyone has a little junk in the trunk. Though it settles SHeDAISY even more comfortably in their pillowy Disney (via Lyric Street) niche, Sweet Right Here does have enough genuine moments to make it the Osborns' own. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The exuberance of SHeDAISY practically leaps off this disc, thanks to a dream marriage of savvy, catchy writing, crisp instrumental backup, and inspired solo and harmony singing. There's a sense that the session veterans called in for this one went above and beyond what was expected; on "Man Goin' Down" and the vamp at the end of "Get Over Yourself," for instance, Steve Brewster is all over the drums, never losing the beat yet never lapsing into formulaic patterns. There's imagination in the production too, with a very effective switch to an old-timey radio episode on the bridge of "I'm Lit," and a canny decision to record the vocals, like the fiddle accompaniment, with minimal sweetening on the power ballad "Rush." Which, of course, points to the fact that SHeDAISY has achieved such a fusion of stadium gesture and reference to tradition that they can put a power ballad into a country framework and make it work. In fact, cinematic touches -- muffled voices, a touch of thunder before the melodramatic "Repent," the "I Am the Walrus" strings that gliss from hoedown to hi-tech effect on "Everybody Wants You" -- turn Knock on the Sky into a concept album; despite essentially mundane lyrics, the music and vision is enough to spirit the listener far from the farm toward more visionary places. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
'The Whole SHeBANG: All Mixed Up'
Release Date 9/25/2001
Tracks 11
Label Hollywood
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Osborn sisters and producer Dan Huff put a new spin on holiday music and put some funk in Christmas. Anything but country, Brand New Year is truly a treat for all music listeners. The incomparable harmonies of Kristyn, Kassidy, and Kelsi grace every song on the 12-song collection of new and old holiday music. But the Osborn sisters give their own delicious sound to tradition. "Deck the Halls," "Jingle Bells," and "Sleigh Ride" have all been consecrated with the melodious sound that is uniquely SheDaisy. And the girls give the Andrews Sisters a run for their money on "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag," sounding much like "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Although Christmas albums generally do little to further a career, SheDaisy better be prepared -- Brand New Year is sure to be under every tree, making them a household name. ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
SHeDAISY is one of those contemporary country acts who are country in name only. Using the work of Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and the Dixie Chicks as a starting point, the three Osborn sisters -- Kristyn, Kelsi, and Kassidy -- have created an appealingly polished collection of modern country-pop, which means it sounds as much (if not more) like mainstream, radio-ready adult contemporary pop as it does contemporary country. For purists, that will be a problem, but the fact of the matter is, SHeDAISY does this music very well and their debut, The Whole Shebang, is every bit as winning as Hill's Faith and Twain's Come on Over, even if it doesn't quite match the Dixie Chicks' Wide Open Spaces. The key to the record's success is not only the sisters' harmonies, which are very good, but Kristyn Osborn's fine songwriting skills. She wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, and while there are a few tunes that feel like filler, most of them are well-crafted, melodic, memorable songs which are distinctive enough to give the group their own identity. The Whole Shebang may not be pure country, but its glossy pop sheen and big hooks, along with SHeDAISY's charismatic vocals, are enough to make it a winning debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
