From Metronome Magazine
"If Cher was singing country, this is probably what she would sound like. Sporting a sexy cowgirl figure and a deeper soprano than most country phillies on the scene today, Becca still manages to reach a country nerve with her credible lyrics and an exceptional backing band that features West Coast players: stringman Chad Watson, drummer Chris Cooke, guitarist Vern Monnett, keyboardist Harlan Spector, harmonica player John Peyton, guitarist Sean Hennessy and background singers Suzi Remeny, Rick Francisco, Emmitt Luttrell and Patty Holley. Becca also enlists the talents of two of her lifelong inspirations, Delaney Bramlett and Stan Perkins (son of the late, great Carl Perkins) to sing with her on the album.
"Becca performs the country struttin' "Blue Note" with Delaney Bramlett who turns in a rousing, soulful vocal. On "Dozen Roses," Becca teams up with Stan Perkins who displays more of a country edge than his famous rockabilly father, Carl. Both tracks are album highlights."
From Sauk Valley News
“Becca Hennessy is a pretty lady with a distinctive country voice."
Tom Peterson / Victory Magazine
"Ok. I confess: writing for a lil' ol' folk magazine, when a record like Becca comes in, the hoots of laughter of snorts of derision kick in immediately. Becca Hennesy looks like a young Cher - we know, 'cause she shows us her naval - and she's out gunning for heartland hotties Faith Hill and Shania Twain, right down to the cliché-d pointing at you shot on the inside cover. The music is superslick Young Country bombast, under the direction of producer Rick Francisco, who is eager to take the credit. So what's to confess? I, uh, kinda liked it! It's pretty good, as overly-calculated pop goes. Proof that life isn't fair, Becca got the pipes to go with the bod, and far more than her competing country cuties, she has the distinctive down-home yowl that instantly evokes the heyday of on Tammy Wynette, Melba Montgomery and Tanya Tucker. The songs themselves (strait up Wynonna) are rendered with fiddle and banjo farther forward in the mix than most popular country allows these days. All other claims by the frenetic Mr. Francisco aside, he just may be right when he says that Becca '(brings) back the warmth and soul of Country Music.' So, shame on me."
Becca: Country From The Coast
by Paul Zimmerman
First Coast News
Coming from somewhere between California, the Mississippi Delta, and Nashville, Becca arrives with a twang in her voice and a song in her heart. Sounding something like a Californian version of Shania Twain Becca’s songs are rooted in pop.
In fact, every upbeat number on her self titled album has more pop elements than country and it’s not until the ballads come along that traditional country influences play a big role.
The ballads twang and jangle in all the right places and you can feel the heartache oozing out of the tunes. “Time to Pretend,” for example, is a tear jerker of a tune that probably made the band cry while they were recording it.
On the other end of the spectrum, “Second Chance,” is a tune that should have been recorded by Shania Twain. Its pure country pop that’s destined that has commercial success all over it.
While Becca obviously wants to be a country star, she’s not afraid to branch out. So Becca and her band grab harmonicas, get down, and get lost in the blues. “Texas Hurricane,” and “Blue Note,” are Mississippi Blues tunes that would sound fantastic in a bar in the French Quarter.
Becca is an interesting artist. While country music is a big part of her debut album, other influences manage to wrangle their way into mix and keep the album from becoming cliché. While many of the upbeat songs are a bit too commercial sounding, her ballads tend to lilt and ache in the right way and her boogie blues are a nice change of pace. Becca isn’t half bad for a debut despite it being a bit too commercial in spots.
Created: 7/6/2005 2:09:01 PM
Updated: 7/7/2005 12:12:08 AM
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