Music Review: Lori Yates - Breaking Point

Lori Yates' country roots run deep--in Toronto's Queen Street music scene, not Nashville. So when CBS Records signed the singer and flew her down to Music City to record a debut album in 1989, it proved to be a mistake: Can't Stop the Girl not only took the girl our of the country, it also took the country--at least Yates' special brand of it--out of the girl. Five years later, the spirited singer finally gets the introduction she deserves with Breaking Point, a superb collection of rocking country and bluesy pop tunes written and performed with the cream of Queen Street talent. A gritty heartache number like "Make a Liar Out of Me," with backup vocals by Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and guitarist-producer Colin Linden, brings a much-needed edge to new country. And "Sweetheart Avenue" is feverish, full-fledged rockabilly. But the songs that really take the singer to new heights are the gospel-drenched "Might Not Be a River," backed by sisters Molly and Taborah Johnson, and the scorching blues of "House on Fire," written by Linden. A confident come-back album, Breaking Point establishes Yates as a singer whose time has come.

Maclean's 11 April 1994