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Alison Pipitone - Shake It Around (Slice Records 2000)

by Elizabeth Nitz

     Alison Pipitone pumps out blue-collar, American music with an attitude on her latest CD, Shake It Around. The native upstate New Yorker combines punk, country, blues, and old-school rock without taking any of it too seriously. Who else could get away with rhyming "rooftops" with "cough drops?" The lyric, "No one holds me down" says it all about this stripped, simply produced album where thirst is nothing and her own style comes through in everything.

     Alison's raw, unrefined vocals and garage band production sound are in stark contrast to her clever lyrics. "Love Song To Me" is a fast-paced self-empowerment song with verses such as, "You are sorry and you are sad, things have changed and they're not half bad. You've been left with a smoking gun, it's your turn to cry and my turn to run."

     A little bit of Melissa Ferrick can be heard on the title track, "Shake It Around. If You're Sleeping On A Train" is a quirky country ballad in the style of Danielle Howe. "What Do You Do..." is a fun, rough blues tune that sounds like it was recorded in the back of a smoky bar with whomever was around. She slows it down with "Country", adding a Latin tone as she takes us on a tour of North American pit stops. Beautiful harmonies crop up surprisingly in the simple country/blues/rocker "Chase It Down."

     The album leaves the listener satisfied and with faith in an artist's ability to express herself without getting caught up in the details. For more information visit www.alisonpipitone.com