Too Much Plenty Artist: Beki Hemingway  Label: Salt Lady Records/Paste Records Time: 12 tracks /41:08 minutes	Samples Sinsick Make You Proud

A good dose of touring can do wonders for an artist's recorded material. Having released the EP rinse. repeat shortly after her departure from This Train, Beki Hemingway has spent most of the past two years touring coffee shops, bookstores, and a variety of other venues. The result is that her debut full length has a much fuller, more assured sound than its predecessor without losing any of its humour or intimacy.

The sound Hemingway has made her own shows clear relations with that of her former band, taking its cue from traditional rock and roll, but the rockabilly influence isn't nearly as pronounced as on This Train's recordings.  Hemingway's vocals mesh naturally with both the music and the lyrics; she is clearly comfortable with the direction she's headed in.

The lyrics are marked by their clarity and honesty. Whether taking the point of view of an eager child ("Make You Proud") or a cynical adult  ("Sinsick"), Hemingway makes observations and confessions that will resonate with many. Her chief subject is relationships in the broadest sense of the term--one of the album's catchiest tunes, "Ft. Bragg", is concerned with a child's desire for respect from her peers--and she clearly has much to say.

The sound can occasionally feel a little dry. "Sinsick"'s dryness fits the weary tone of the lyrics, but sometimes some more experimentation on the instrumental side--perhaps drawing more on the mandolin, accordion, and organ of Jonathan Rundman--might have given the album some useful variety.

A significant step forward from its predecessor while leaving room for development, this album suggests that there is plenty to come from Beki Hemingway, and it'll be a long time before that's too much. 

 James Stewart 1/30/2000

Beki Hemingway is back with a vengeance. Many have been eagerly awaiting her first full-length solo album since rinse. repeat. came out. Fans of either Hemingway or This Train will be thrilled with Too Much Plenty, and even those unfamiliar with either should consider giving this a listen.

Too Much Plenty is a good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll album, with lots of electric guitar, prominent drums, and Hemingway's signature power alto on every track. As Huey Lewis would say, "The heart of rock 'n' roll is still beating," and this CD is proof.

From a lyrical standpoint, there are several songs dealing with a child's point of view, including "Make You Proud," in which Hemingway takes every child's view of wanting to please the grownups in her life. This Train fans will be happy to see "Mary Alice," which talks about a child's fear of parents fighting, on this collection. The delightful "Fort Bragg" reveals that Beki was that kid (didn't we all know a kid like this?) who always had the whole neighborhood at her house:

Everybody's playing in my yard
Everybody's playing in my yard
Everybody knows that my yard is the place
to play, my mom makes the best Kool Aid
Everybody's playing in my yard
Look at me, I'm popular

I only bat my eyelashes
To get you into bed
I only get you into bed
To get you off my back sometimes
And I only want you off my back
So I can do the things
That you don't approve of
But I need your approval all the time

In short, if well-written, skillfully performed, deftly produced rock music is right up your alley, hie thee to http://www.pastemusic.com and buy Too Much Plenty.

Lisa Reid 3/26/2000