Aussie two-some take us back to good, ol' fashioned feel-good hillbilly country with more than a dash of bush balladry, swing, folk and Cajun thrown in for good measure. Most of the songs are written by the two Sheilas (Tracey Bunn and Glenyss Rae), though they do dig up some oddities from the past like Northwind (recorded by Slim Whitman in the mid 1950's) and the more recent Our Town, an Iris Dement song given a refreshingly different arrangement. Many of the other songs explore the tenuous male female tightrope of relationships, and being from an Aussie viewpoint, drinking features strongly in the lyrics. Titles such as My Friend the Bottle and George Jones give an indication of what to expect.
There's also some pretty serious stuff here as well, like Big Red Chair, a well written mid tempo tune about a woman sitting thinking about being back with her lover, with some lovely accordion work swirling around in the background. In contrast, Sweet Sally is an infectious toe-tapper; the story line is adorable, the vocal is full of heart and the track is a rollicking romp that gallops across the finish line with energy to spare. While not wholly original, the Cowgirls sure know how to stimulate the mind - and feet, with one of the best feel-good albums so far this year, and that's not to say it's not substantive.
TONY CLARKE

DIRTY LINEN - USA Issue # 110 Feb/Mar 2004

Toe Sucking Cowgirls
FLAMIN' SHEILAS
self-produced

The Toe Sucking Cowgirls are actually two young women songwriters, one of whom plays guitar, the other accordion and fiddle. Half a dozen guests help out on Flamin Sheilas, the groups debut. The songs are strong and contain the occasional Australian reference, but, for the most part, the Cowgirls' brand of folk-country has a strong North American flavor. A cover of Iris Dements "Our Town" serves as a good example of the groups musical style and material. The production on Flamin' Sheilas doesn't really do justice to the songs but the groups name gives the group a strong identity, and the duo's second album, reportedly not far away, will hopefully be more representative of their potential.
- Paul Emile Comeau