Jenny Queen - Girls Who Cry Need Cake (2001)

Australian based singer/songwriter Jenny Queen unveils a largely riveting song cycle with Girls Who Cry Need Cake, her debut album. Akin to Kasey Chambers, Sydney's other, more-prominent Lucinda Williams worshiper, Queen hits a nerve with "Drowning Slowly," the swooning, mid-tempo opener, and never looks back. "Due South" is a woozy, stripped down heartbreaker, "66 Days" is a soulfully built winner, and Queen's Mazzy Star-derived take on Moby's "Porcelain" is flat-out brilliant. If the aimless ballad "Between the Riverbank and the Highway" is Queen's lone weakness here, Girls Who Cry Need Cake is an impressive entry nonetheless.