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excerpt from CD Reviews
issue 68, Winter 2011, p.42
Gool Ol' Girls — Original Cast Recording Ghostlight Records
by RON COHEN
I'm not the world's greatest fan of Country & Western music but Good Ol' Girls, which ran Off-Broadway about a year ago, totally won me over with its supreme musicality, heartfelt pathos and high spirits. And this CD from Ghostlight Records provides the opportunity to further appreciate the talents of the five performers and the appeal of the songs, written by a variety of people, but mainly by the Nashville stalwarts Matraca Berg and Marshall Chapman. The songs celebrate an iconic figure in such music: the good-hearted woman living her life with zest and purpose, even while overcoming bad lovers and other twists of fate. They range from haunting laments like 'Appalachian Rain' to joyous two-step melodies like 'Back in the Saddle', which may have you line-dancing around your living room. The five good ol' girls, all terrific, are Lauren Kennedy, Sally Mayes, Teri Ralston, Gina Stewart, and Liza Vann. Get ready to do-si-do or mayube shed a tear or two.