Tamara Stewart

The Way The World Is

© 2001 ABC Country

Soundbytes

	Like I Do
	Lying Down

Track Listing

It's A Good Thing (You're Crazy), Simple Things, Just The Way I Am, The Way The World Is, Like I Do, Lying Down, Wild Child, Here Comes The Rain (with Rick Price), Shelli, When You've Lost Your Faith, Nothing To Prove, That Makes Me Cry, The Way The World Is (Reprise).

Tamara Stewart has emerged in the past few years as one of Australia's most successful country music performers. The twenty-five-year old singer-songwriter is a passionate, yet bubbly entertainer who made her breakthrough with "No Surrender Romeo," which won the Australian Country Song Of the Year. That was less than four years ago. Since then, signed to EMI's ABC-Country label, Tamara has scored back to-back top five hits with "Way Too Easy" and "Simple Things," both included on this debut album, "The Way the World Is," which was released in the UK in October 2001 to coincide with Tamara's tour with U.K. artist, Steve Cherelle. As well as touring the U.K, Tamara made her first trip to Nashville, where she got to write with some of country music's finest talents.

Of the 13 tracks on the album, 11 were either written or co-written by Tamara, with the opening "It's A good Thing," being a lively song, written by Sunny Russ, Dave Berg and Deanna Bryant, that has her telling her lover, it's a good thing your crazy, cause I'm crazy about you. The other 'foreign' track on here is one of my favourite tracks on the album, the Jerry Sally and Jim McBride co-write, "Lying Down," a wonderful song in which she finally finds the strength to push her boozy lover away as he stumbles into the bedroom.

Tamara shows off her talent in the songwriting department as she tells of the value of the "Simple Things" in life, a very catchy tune that bobs along to a train like rhythm, co-penned with Rod McCormack and Rick Price, as is the jangly "Way Too Easy," the bouncy and very catchy toe tapper "Like I Do," a sure fire hit with the line-dancers and "Here Comes The Rain" a duet with Rick Price, that once again has a Byrds like jangly rhythm.

Of her solo composition's, "Just The Way I Am" finds her professing her feeling's and is dedicated to Simon, who I presume is her boyfriend or husband, while the title track, "Just The Way The World Is," tells a very sad and meaningful story, echoing the thoughts of many of us about how this world of ours is going today. "Wild Child" is a bluesy, Wynonna type of song, "Shelli" pays homage to a personal inspiration and she tells of the struggles of being strong willed and trying to make it alone in "Nothing To Prove," a song she dedicates to her parents. The album closes with a solo acoustic performance on the slow, "That Makes Me Cry."

"The Way The World Is," is a very enjoyable album of contemporary country music, on the lines of Mary Chapin Carpenter in places, from a very talented young Australian singer/songwriter who, on this showing, very definitely has a bright future ahead of her. I didn't get the chance to see her on her recent tour with Steve Cherelle, but I will certainly rectify that should she visit our shores again in the future.

Website: www.tamarastewart.com