Stremel's been a Kansas City fixture for, well, 10 years, first as a member of Frogpond and then as leader of the terrific alt-country outfit Exit 159. But it's only recently that she's really found her artistic voice—a yearning, take-no-prisoners attack that can't help remind you of Chrissie Hynde and early Tom Petty. Half bar-band rocker, half punk, she splits the difference with the iconic familiarity of the former and the no-rules abandon of the latter on an album that's every bit as kick-ass as the Hold Steady, but without the cynicism. Disc opener "Shimmer and Glow" is simply one of the sexiest rock songs I've heard in years, all lust and no quarter, while "Pieces" and "It's Not a Phase" are unabashed power-chord workouts, the kind that are as welcome as they are unfashionable. Can't wait to hear what the next 10 years brings.

First printed in Jul/Aug 2007