Carol McComb is an experienced musician who's been recording either as a singer-songwriter or as part of the Gryphon Quintent/Carollers for 30 years. She performs live and teaches guitar and songwriting classes in Palo Alto, Calif.

A Little Bit of Heaven is a country-folk album that covers a range of subject material, but mostly it's the standard regret and love lost. All songs are by Carol McComb, and 18 musicians (on bass, pedal steel, mandolin, uillean pipes, concertina and fiddle) support her acoustic guitar and vocals lead across 12 tracks written between 1992 and 2000.

McComb has a strong voice that's pleasant and expressive. My favourite track is "Watershed," and it's on simple tracks like this that her voice shines.

The musicianship on the album is crisp and the tunes are entertaining. The lyrics are pretty much standard fare for the type, not overly cliched, but not overly original either. Still, it's an enjoyable album that's well-produced and easy to listen to.

- Rambles
written by Jean Lewis
published 16 April 2005

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