By Danny Speer - Ithaca, New York

Jeannie Burns, off -applauded as the redhead and alto voice of the singing Burns sisters has

got her own thing. You knew she did if you've followed the sisters at all. In fact there are 12

Burns siblings that have their own cool thing, but only the 8th and 11th kids (brother Vince)

got the red hair from mom and none of the grandkids so far. It's rare and fine and a natural

puzzle. Reflecting on famous red-headed women I visualize Lucy as Spitfire and Julianne Moore

for cool remove-archetypes, Jeannie falls between while demonstrating flashes of both.

She can sing hard and she can sing soft and sell a song either way, and she proves that on

Coming Up Close her solo album. Coming Up Close casts Jeannie in an Irish philosopher's

role-melancholy, but loving life in songs by 9 visionaries of Americana whose protagonists

have settled for less than perfection. The music is bluesy folk-rock featuring several gorgeous

ballads, like the title cut by Aimee Mann which shimmers and wonders, and Blue Norther

by Louise Taylor, a haunted account of working-class life in gulf coast Texas. Those 2 frame

Steve Earles's "Mystery Train II", a chugging rocker Jeannie sang all out to terrific effect,

and the 3 form the heart of the album in a skillful arrangement of songs that builds and releases

just right. The final song Ella, is by Jeannie and Jim Henry, the producer arranger and

marvelous multi-instrumentalist who is co-creator of Coming Up Close, and the tune makes

a charming postlude to the set, about a child, after all those adult characters. Henry adds

banjo and dobro to it. From the fancy flatpicking on Ray Bonneville's "That's Why"

to the state-of-the-art slide guitar on Fred Eaglesmith's "Crashing and Burning"

and James Burton-inflected lead electric picking on "Mystery Train II", Henry makes different

marvelous music magic in every song with Nashville-cat clarity and a producer's vision.

His crisp and flowing acoustic guitar is the bedrock of the album under Jeannie's voice, which

is on target throughout, from growl to halleluia. By Jove she's done it for sure this time.

Art meets commerce. Coming Up Close is available now in Ithaca stores and online at

www.jeannieburns.com , following Marie Burns Free Little Bird, released late last year.

Annie Burn's solo album, to be titled Days of Italy is nearing completion.

Outstanding photographs of Jeannie by brother Patrick adorn the cover and CD itself. Rowf!

Accidentally unaccredited on the album is harmonica playing and backup singing of Ray Bonneville,

and Cliff Eberhart singing backup on his song. Doug Plavin is the drummer and Richard

Gates the bass player, and with Jim Henry, they're a band to be proud of.