Tami Neilson - Don't Be Afraid

"Don't Be Afraid," the opening cut, is deep soul that will induce shivers. A classic country ballad, "Lonely" has soaring cosmopolitan strings and a stirring vocal cameo from rising Kiwi star Marlon Williams. The gospel strains are to the fore on both "Bury My Body," a sparse tune that shows off those prodigious pipes, and "Holy Moses," a rousing barnburner. The upbeat Latin-esque revelry of "Loco Mama" adds some needed levity to proceedings halfway through, then its back to the heart-wrenching ballads with "Heavy Heart" and "Only Tears" and onto the fiddle-fuelled romp "Laugh Laugh Laugh."