Kelly Willis
Translated From Love (Rykodisc)
Since 2002's Easy, Kelly Willis has discovered unconditional love. The honeyed twang of the Austin songbird remains a hallmark on Translated, but the songs are forged with a more mature fire and relaxed tone. "Nobody Wants to Go to the Moon Anymore" sets the gamboling pace atop a cosmic steel guitar, while the unlikely cover of Iggy Pop's "Success" holds up well as a honky-tonk anthem backed by the Gourds, Willis laughing through the verses. The equally improbable take on "Teddy Boys" from former Moldy Peach Adam Green fairs far less successfully, as does the more pop-country "The More That I'm Around You." Yet assuaged by softer statements of longing and love in the title track and "Too Much to Lose," the latter harmonized with husband Bruce Robinson, Translated From Love needs few subtitles getting its message across.
