by James Allen
At only 19 years of age, New Orleans singer/fiddler/songwriter Amanda Shaw is already on her fourth album with Good Southern Girl, which might go some way toward explaining how an artist so young seems to have already developed such a deep sense of musical history. Produced by Trina Shoemaker, who is best known for her work with Sheryl Crow, the album glides seamlessly through a number of rootsy styles while still maintaining a touch of the Crescent City throughout. In addition to her precocious fiddling skills, Shaw shows herself to be an accomplished composer, alternating between her own tunes and material from a broad spectrum of other sources. The self-penned title track kicks things off with a feel-good vibe and lyrics full of local color, as Shaw sings of "magnolia nights" and heading "towards … » Read more