Track Listing

1. Drag Queens in Limousines
2. Our Lady of the Shooting Stars
3. Karla Faye
4. I Drink
5. Evangeline
6. Lucky Stars
7. Different Kind of Gone
8. Slip of the Tongue
9. Lifetime
10. Jackie's Train

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27467 in Music
• Released on: 1999-08-10
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Though she's made a name for herself in Boston as both a songwriter and as a chef, Mary Gauthier has little in common with her more refined New England folk brethren. Her aspirations and influences point toward the twangy lyricism of Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and Townes Van Zandt. If the Louisiana native hasn't yet attained their mastery, she's headed in the right direction. Gauthier's first widely available release is filled with striking, unrepentant outcasts--from convicted murderess Karla Faye Tucker to, as she sings in the title song, "drag queens in limousines, nuns in blue jeans, dreamers with big dreams, poets and AWOL marines." Her characters are captured in words that are rarely sentimental, always keen, and often wise. Against a simple but vivid acoustic backdrop, Gauthier's thick drawl rings with the truth of deeply felt emotions. Whether in a peaceful love song or a brutally realistic vignette, Gauthier lends every line great affection, dignity, and respect. --Roy Kasten

Review
With strong songwriting and powerful vocals, the alternative country album Drag Queens in Limousines might be a pleasant surprise for some who try to judge it by its unusual title alone. This 1999 sophomore album was recorded by Louisiana native Mary Gauthier. Of course, most of the numbers on this award-winning offering aren't your everyday kind of country. Some of the lyrics have even been called brutally honest. One of the songs, Karla Faye,is about a Texas death row inmate by that name. Other numbers are simply about the rejects of society and the struggles that most people face at one point or another. Gauthier is a talented singer and completely capable of sharing her emotions through her lyrics. A few songs fans can sample on this album are Different Kind of Gone, Our Lady of the Shooting Stars, and Lucky Stars. --Charlotte Dillon-All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

The Gauthier Way
This album was one of my great discoveries of the past year, a really pleasant surprise. For fans of really basic music, boiled down to brilliant traditional songwriting and a voice that hides nothing from you, this is a terrific purchase.

The sound is great: light guitars, stripped-down country backings all force Mary's great voice front and center. Good thing, too, because the words are often stunning, full of honey in their heartbreak. From relationships that appear to wear down like the nub of a pencil, to bleary nights spent holding up bar counters, Gauthier's lyrics plumb the depths of the dark and come up smelling sweetly of either gentle resignation or light laughter. Like Mark Eitzel, but without the near-constant self-flagellation, Gauthier seems to sing her way into self-discovery on each and every song. "Fish swim," she sings, and then, as if shrugging her way casually into her own true talent, "I drink."

The only bad thing I can say about this CD is that some of the songs sound a lot like each other, and that's only partly bad when songs sound that good.

One final thing: some of the publicity I've seen for this CD (including Mary Gauthier's website) has gotten into the annoying habit of trying to sell her life story rather than her music (ran away from home, big bad city, drink, drugs, yada yada yada; I have visions of Vanilla Ice screaming he's from the streets). The music speaks more about what Mary has been through/put herself through than any she-walks-the-walk marketing copy on a website is going to say. And Mary says it all better.

Great CD full of honest lyrics
I heard Mary Gauthier perform in Boston and after hearing her live I had to have this Cd. Her lyrics are so brutally honest and they are underscored with enough simplicity that they are the forefront of the recording. Each song is a new poignant story that pulls you in and pulls you apart at the same time. She dares to touch upon subjects most songwriters avoid and can provoke even the most cold heart to feel empathy. The songs "Karla Faye" and "Lifetime" are highltights for me, but the whole CD has such an even quality to it that I am sure my favorites will shift with each listen.

Tired of Fast-Food for Thought?
Every now and then someone comes down the pike with something different to say. An artist that has found their own voice. One that speaks from the heart. Mary Gauthier is such a person. One listen to "drag quuens", "i drink", "different kind of gone", "evangeline", "lifetime" and "karla faye" are all it should take to hook any music junkie. Unfortunately, most folks need comparisons to know what to expect. If I must...take a pinch of John Prine, a dash of Terry Allen, a smidge of Tom Waits, add a little Lucinda Williams, some Toni Price and a heepin' helpin' of "twang". If Mary "Go-Shay" doesn't whet your appetite you better stick to what Nashville jams down your throat. Mary Gauthier has found the recipe for success. I hope she keeps cookin' like this.