Stand Still, Look Pretty

Editors’ Notes Michelle Branch put her adult alternative career on the back burner to join with her songwriter friend and backing singer Jessica Harp. They formed The Wreckers in late 2005 and soon delivered an outstanding country pop album in Stand Still, Look Pretty. Sounding like equal parts Dixie Chicks and Sheryl Crow, their debut went gold shortly before their first single "Leave The Pieces" was Grammy-nominated for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.  Before that, "The Good Kind" appeared on One Tree Hill and the show's compilation soundtrack. The song's chorus climbs with heavenly harmonies woven so closely together that it sounds like Branch and Harp are blood siblings. The title track is a beautifully moody dirge stripped down to muted rhythms, threadbare acoustic picking, stark piano notes, and lyrics musing on trying to stay composed in the public eye during an emotional meltdown. "My, Oh My" is easily the most country sounding tune here. Twangy instruments, a roadhouse shuffle and a good narrative make it stand out from the rest which come off more like contemporary radio pop with rootsy instruments — not like that's a bad thing.