Little Bird

Australian roots-rocker Kasey Chambers has flirted with folk, country, and rock, but she’s at her best when she’s mixing and matching how she sees fit. Chambers plays an honest hand. Her voice isn’t that of a traditional country, rock or pop singer, but her enthusiasm drives the fiddle-backed “Devil On Your Back,” the pedal-steel supported “Someone Like Me” and the banjo-fueled “Georgia Brown.” Her tasteful ballads — “Somewhere” and the tribute to her homeland, “Nullarbor (The Biggest Backyard)” — ache with sincerity. The electric guitars spotlighted during “This Story” and “Down Here On Earth” give Chambers an extra few volts of rock ‘n’ roll. “Train Wreck” turns up the power with a brawny rhythm and tough guitars. However, she sounds just as at home on the simple acoustic plea of “The Stupid Things I Do” and the country duet with Kevin Bennett on “Love Like a Hurricane.” Chambers is a versatile artist unafraid to show the world her many interests and strengths.