Music Reviews

Album Review: Heidi Newfield – ‘What Am I Waiting For’

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 18, 2008, 14:56 GMT

Formerly the lead singer of Trick Pony, Heidi Newfield steps into the next career chapter with her solo debut, What Am I Waiting For. The album features six tracks co-written by Heidi including the album\'s crown jewel, Johnny & June. Of the album, Heidi remarks, I really was only interested in cutting a record that was going to step out and have some relevance in this day and age, when ...more

Heidi Newfield stepped off of her Trick Pony and into a solo career that appears to be off to a great start.  The debut album of Trick Pony featured a rousing version of ‘Big River’ with superstars Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings and Newfield pays tribute to one of those legends with her solo debut. 

‘Johnny and June’ pays a fine tribute to soul mates Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and is (obviously) my favorite track on the album.  To play devil’s advocate - I hated the music video, which is how I first heard the song. 

She starts off the album with three great tracks, ‘Can’t Let Go,’ ‘Tears Fall Down,” and the aforementioned ‘Johnny and June.’  Some of the others don’t gel as well as those.  ‘Knocked Up’ sounds almost like a parody and might be funny if the subject wasn’t so serious and treated with such nonchalance by the subject of the tune.

Aw hell, maybe I’m just reading too much into it – you know how critics are (but for the record I never touched that gal!).

“What Am I Waiting For” is nonetheless a strong debut from Newfield, but I still find myself returning to the first three tracks more than the rest.