Album Review: Tori Forsyth - Dawn Of The Dark

Seemingly grown from the earth of the Hunter Valley itself, Tori Forsyth's debut album is as country as Australia gets.

She might claim, "I'm just a child in a grown woman's game," in Hell's Lullaby, but the maturity on display throughout Dawn Of The Dark strongly suggests otherwise. Her massive voice adapts to the tender, campfire-licked moments of Violet Town just as easily as rollicking devil-may-care hoedown Redemption. It's hard not to catch the breezes of Stevie Nicks throughout, although kudos must be given to producer (and Aussie country legend) Shane Nicholson who manages to infuse Forsyth with an authentic, slightly imperfect studio feel. You half expect to hear her on the soundtrack to Preacher, especially when she drops lines like, "I drank holy water but it rotted my teeth" (the terrific Hell's Lullaby again).

For her first long-player, Forsyth sounds as robust as any seasoned Tamworth Country Music Festival veteran. Forsyth herself seems happy to wear the alt-country tag, but on this evidence she's currently just as comfortable in the genre's mainstream.