Artist:   Carrie Rodriguez
Song:   "She Ain’t Me"
Album: She Ain’t Me
Label:   Manhattan
Year:    2008

This lady might not look quite like it, but she can sure take care of herself, with or without a fiddle in her hands. Carrie Rodriguez has an edge, and maybe it’s because there’s danger in her songs, or possibly it’s due to the company she keeps. She writes with Gary Louris, Mary Gauthier, and like this song, Dan Wilson. Sometimes she sings with Lucinda Williams. And for album producer, Malcolm Burn ran the show. Of course, none of that would matter if Rodriguez didn’t have her own ear for music, which she definitely does. “She Ain’t Me” is an instant classic of quiet betrayal, with a boyfriend that disappears whenever it suits him, and doesn’t even have the manners to say he’s sorry. Naturally, Ms. Rodriguez finally wises up and proclaims her own obvious charms. Underneath all the drama is a seductive melody pushing the song forward, with a slightly less frantic British pub rock feel that’s impossible to resist. It’s been 30 years since that style almost ran rampant over rock & roll, and while everything on this song is more tamped down, that doesn’t mean it’s lightweight. In fact, below the self-control is a woman who sounds capable of doing some serious damage if she has to, which is the real key to this song. Co-writer Dan Wilson’s big hit with his earlier group Semisonic, “Closing Time,” captured its own kind of despair, and it’s no accident many of the best songs on the Dixie Chicks’ recent album were written with Wilson. He might be from Minneapolis, but he’s got plenty of Southern desperation running through his blood, and with Carrie Rodriguez has come up with a brand new standard. As an album, She Ain’t Me delivers an intensity that is best taken a few tracks at a time. As a song, “She Ain’t Me” is ready 24/7.