A songwriter first, Richey's first album was released when she was 39 years old and in the 17 yeas since then, she's navigated on the fringes of Country Music and thrived with her series of artistic albums that have been mined by bands and singers like Mindy McCready, Lori Morgan, Terri Clark, The Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood, Maura O'Connell, Brooks & Dunn amongst others. On Thorn In My Heart Kim's lilting alto soars on songs like "Something More," the title track and rocker "Come On." The latter song feels like something that could easily get covered by today's smarter singers like Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood or maybe even Kree Harrison. In a perfect world - one without prejudice for factors like age and record label size - It'd be Kim Richey herself scoring hits of her own with these songs but that time has likely come and gone for the singer who actually never scored her own Top 40 Country Radio hit. Honestly, if any song is gonna get cut by Lambert on this record, it's "No Means Yes," the kind of sinful and wicked song that few artists could sing if they weren't the creators of it, which means that Lambert has the gravitas to pull off this twangy throwback with honky tonk pianos and a classic-sounding lyrical setting.
"I'm Going Down" and "Break Away Speed" and "Love Is" are other standout tracks on Thorn In My Heart. These are all the kinds of songs that showcase a songwriter who is in her element when making modern music that's both Country and Rock at the same time but not the Country or Rock of the mainstream.
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