Barricades & Brickwalls (2002)

"Chambers exceeds the high standards that critics had already attached to her even at age 25. The music, raw and unpretentious, provide an ideal setting for her vocals, whose hint of world-weary reflection suggests significant growth since her debut "The Captain". From the title track, a menacing meditation on obsession, to gentler and more traditional reflections such as "On a Bad Day," she delivers each lyric with disarming artlessness. Images of restless and rootless wandering crop up repeatedly, appropriate in different ways to a variety of settings. The replication of a Patsy Cline vibe on "A Little Bit Lonesome," complete with vintage production and bouncy fiddle fills, clarifies that Chambers draws from the most vital currents that feed the body of her chosen tradition. Guest appearances by Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, and Matthew Ryan further authenticate this album as prime-cut Americana -- ironic perhaps, given Chambers' Australian roots, but appropriate nonetheless." (R.L. Doerschuk, Allmusic)