WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN Feb 2005 Listen to this and you can almost taste the dust and feel the corrugations in the roads travelled by the Cowgirls. This hard-working, hard-travelling Darwin-based country-roots team brings honesty and passion to songs of life, love and liquor. Frontwomen Tracey Bunn (vocals, guitar) and Glenyss Rae (vocals, fiddle, accordion) possess that priceless skill of seemingly effortless songwriting. Their tales range from the triumph and downfall of a teenage C&W groupie (Bonk Donga Bop), to a Polish virgin barmaid’s deflowering in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland (Magda) and fond reminiscences of farm and family life – the beautiful evocative Grandmas’ Chair. Thirteen Thongs – yes, lisping listeners, there are 13 tunes here (including a cover of Plastic Jesus) – takes you to wherever the band has been, or is going, in their minds and in their van. It’s a mightily Australian take on the troubadour’s existence – a life that’s variously joyous, drunken, melancholic and precious. BRIAN BOLTON - Weekend Australian **** CAPITAL NEWS Feb 2005 With their irrepressible sense of humour, catchy songs and entertaining shows, the Toe Sucking Cowgirls have been packing in the crowds for several years now. And finally they’ve found time to record their 2nd album, much to the delight of their many fans. Thirteen Thongs (the title has to be said out loud, preferably in conjunction with the words Toe Sucking Cowgirls) captures the spirit and joy of the Toe Sucking Cowgirls perfectly. The albums packed with strong appealing songs and the vitality that is so much part of the girls’ live act has somehow been captured too. There are funny songs like Two Pot Screamer and the raunchy Bonk Donga Bop, songs about places (the evocative Tennant Creek) and people (Magda), songs about life on the road and the pleasure of companionship (Hard to Make a Living and Special Friends) and perceptive ballads like Grandmas’ Chair and the wonderful Run When I Want To. One Stop/ Independent Thirteen Thongs is a diverse, energizing musical journey into the world of the Toe Sucking Cowgirls – a world you’ll enjoy so much, you may never want to leave. SUSAN JARVIS DAILY NEWS 'UP COUNTRY' Feb 2005 When it comes to singing cowgirls, it’s hard to go past the original sound of the Toe Sucking Cowgirls from the Northern Territory. They have a real enthusiasm which comes through in their music and a distinctly Aussie flavour to their songs. There is a great authenticity to their music which captures so many different aspects of Australia that it is very easy to follow the lyrics, no matter how risqué they may be. The sound which the Toe Suckers have delivered on this album brings together elements of Cajun and the Aussie bush ballad with the majority of the songs upbeat and very catchy. It’s hard not to find your toes tappin’ or singing along on the 13 tracks. They mix up the playlist well and many of the songs feature plenty of humour, even if they are brutally honest. The Toe Suckers harmonise well and their music would be ideal for any party or in the car on those road trips. They have a few slower songs such as Run When I Want To, the great imagery of Tennant Creek and the Reflective Grandmas Chair. But the Toe Suckers really shine in the upbeat numbers of which Bonk Donga Bop(with it’s rock and roll feel), Waiting for You, Special Friends, the bush ballad upbeat feel to Two Pot Screamer (which the Bushwhackers would be proud of) and the equally rollicking Magda, the swing tempo of Hard to Make a Living and the quirky Hippy Shampoo and Plastic Jesus. This is a great Aussie album which would appeal to a very broad audience who likes their country truly Aussie and with a healthy dose of humour. Thirteen Thongs is on of those albums you will find yourself coming back to because the songs tend to find their way into your mind and don’t go away, especially after reading the lyrics. They’re original, they’re refreshing and their music is infectious, give the Toe Suckers a go, but one thing if you do, give em some volume as well. BOB ANTHONY JNR COUNTRY UPDATE Feb 2005 Hailing from Darwin NT, the Toe Sucking Cowgirls, comprising of Tracey Bunn and Glenyss Rae, recorded their first CD in 2001, and since then this retro outfitted duo have become a sensation at country music festivals across Australia. Thirteen Thongs is their second album and as the title of this CD indicates, these girls are all about fun and good times. Even the instrumentation is fun: just take a listen to the cool accordion, drums and pedal steel on Waiting For You. Then there are the lyrics of songs like Two Pot Screamer (“He was reekin’ he was blazin’, it was bloody well amazin’ that the bugger was still standin’ up at all”). Although the overall theme is fun, there are songs such as Run When I Want To and Special Friends that do have deeper implications. Their affection for their home state is evidenced in Tennant Creek but their nomadic sensibility is substantiated in Girl So Free. These girls have brought amusement, enthusiasm, and energy to this album, and it’s bound to rub off on the listener. ROSIE ADSETT