When faced with the choice of fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, trips around the world and fame versus a normal life with your loved ones, which would you choose? Honestly? While most of us do feel we’d go for the latter in a heartbeat, you can never be sure about the temptation of glamour and droves of loving fans. Knowing all of this beforehand made Cyndi Thomson’s decision to give it all up that much more impressive, at least to fans.

The raven-haired Georgian came out on fire, two consecutive number one singles at a time when females weren’t getting as much radio play as they are now (which still isn’t too much) and earning respect as both a traditional-leaning vocalist and a classy woman. After her record subsequently went gold, she gave it all up, the rigors of fame proving to be too much, opting for a normal life with her husband.

Tracklisting:
My World (*** ½)
I Always Liked That Best (*****)
What I Really Meant To Say (*****)
Things I Would Do (***)
If You Could Only See (*****)
I’m Gone (****)
If You Were Mine (*** ½)
Hope You’re Doing Fine (**** ½)
There Goes The Boy (****)
But I Want To (*****)
I’ll Be Seeing You (*****)

The opener My World is an ideal way to begin a record, though the track itself is slightly on the average side; pensive and carnally charged, it lets you in on her life a little bit while still playing the role of Cyndi Thomson, sex kitten country girl vocalist. An intertwined pick-up line and biography, its lack of upbeat-edness is admirable since most give the burst of energy first before the record gets going. Thomson wraps her smoky albeit slightly girly vocals over the chunky acoustics, sturdy percussion and swaggery production, starting things off right. Second single I Always Liked That Best is a majestically normal romantic springtime love ballad, told through the doe eyes of Thomson, whose supple and breathy performance is tittilatingly pure. With sprawling fiddle, elegant acoustics and just the right amount of class/ordinariness balance, this song still holds up, easily charming the giggly schoolboys out there.

Monster first single What I Really Meant To Say still, to me, is one of the best mainstream country singles of the past half decade, or more. An awkward, regretfully reflective ode to that meeting post-breakup with the one that you’ll always love, its blushing insecurity is endearing, its passion, touching. Thomson rules the entire time, projecting true mixed emotions while maintaining her class. Things I Would Do is…an interesting listen, to say the least. With half-spoken word, half rapped verses bare of any real accompaniment, it starts off odd and doesn’t fully recover. The hookline is a bit dull and uninspired while the music seems slightly flat, jumbled acoustics, rigid percussion and too late steel included.

If You Could Only See makes the pain go away, her ability to interpret and project a song becoming much more evident. This piano-lenient I-see-the-real-you ballad of devotion seems at first to be very derivative, quickly proving itself as a worthy listen. With a stark vocal, smartly succinct conversational lyricism and elegantly cascading piano-strings, it’s definitely enjoyable. Her fitting final single, I’m Gone, took on a new life after her retirement. A slightly vengeful, look-what-you-gave-up slithery upbeat, its subject matter may be a bit blah but everything else makes up for it. Its production revels in its deliciously trashy attitude, making Thomson out as an eyerollingly dismissive diva. She has an alright track but this is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

If You Were Mine just doesn’t really do it for me, for some reason. There’s nothing terribly wrong here; the lyrics may be a bit cheesy but work well in context, Thomson’s vocal is flirty to the max and the music is equal parts sensual and down home. There’s just nothing here to write home about. Hope You’re Doing Fine finds Thomson at one of her more confident points, her power in check and able to enhance an otherwise marginal track. This conversational tell-me-how-you’re-doing memory fest letter-ish track to an ex has a total nice girl quality about it that you find yourself liking. When she goes normal girl on us, it works wonders.

There Goes The Boy, But I Want To and I’ll Be Seeing You give you good lasting memories of this 2001 summer release, all three on the better side of average. The first, an observational take on an ex in the same vein as her first single, is a more edgily produced and performed song, no real perkiness or girliness coming through as usual. With dizzying electrics, soothing acoustics and demure production, you feel what she has to say, making the end that much sadder. The second, something that could fit in on a pop-rock record, is something that we all relate to, that lust at first sight that some of us experience multiple times per day. It’s enhanced by Thomson’s slightly shy albeit husky performance, which is one of the best on the record. It’s a song that we can all get into, the stronger acoustics and jangly percussion her best friends. The third, very fittingly placed, is exactly what it sounds like, her goodbye to, at the time, an ex. It can almost be used as a fan’s goodbye to her, with its regretful fiddle, blue-tinted production and moodily somber performance. It makes you respect her that much more, her genuineness and relatability that much more evident.

While this record clocks in at only thirty five minutes and doesn’t really let you in on the person that Cyndi Thomson is, you have to take some records at face value and enjoy them for what they’re worth. She’s a solid performer who pens her own unique, homespun ditties of love, lust and loss, all still rampant themes in the music industry. If you have some money or time to blow, I think you should try out this delectable Georgia peach. Jimmy Carter would be proud.

Great Music To Play While: marveling at the coincidences…or are they coincidences???

Pay Attention To: I’ll Be Seeing You, What I Really Meant To Say, I Always Liked That Best

Don’t Pay Attention To: Things I Would Do, If You Were Mine, My World

Last Three Reviews:
Sugarland- Twice The Speed of Life
Rachel Proctor- Where I Belong
Lindsay Lohan- Speak


Recommended: Yes