Marti Brom – Sings Heartache Numbers
Harlan Howard’s classic “Heartaches By The Number” gets a very cool countdown on this disc by Austin rockabilly swinger Marti Brom, who downshifts into crooner mode for this outing. Brom has collected a baker’s dozen country gems (and a hidden track of the Howard tune) with numbers one through thirteen in their titles and choruses. It’s a gimmick, sure, but it’s as cute as the gal who sings them.
The result sounds like a playlist from WSM-AM in the early ’60s. “One Way Ticket To The Blues”, naturally, starts off the list and sets the twang-and-steel tone, followed by similar treatments of Lawton Williams’ underappreciated “Alone At A Table For Two”, the Ronnie Self obscurity “Three Hearts Later”, and so on.
Even the old pop standby “Twelfth Of Never” is pleasantly Texas-fied by Dickie Overby’s pedal steel and Brom’s firm control of the song’s inherently overwrought nature. It’s a great slow dance number for a hardwood floor. Bobby Flores’ fiddle, hardcore honky-tonker Levi Mullen’s electric guitar, producer Justin Trevino’s rhythm guitar, Debra Hurd’s piano and Overby’s ringing steel bring to mind vintage Cherokee Cowboys with their tears-in-your-beers vibe.
It doesn’t hurt that Brom has on her best “Pretty Miss” Norma Jean party dress, particularly on “Whiskey Six Years Old” and “Seven Lonely Days”, which compares favorably with Kitty Wells’ version. She sings the songs with conviction and reverence, but also manages to make them her own.