Option-Sep./Oct. '96

Lucky bear an uncanny resemblance to the early Bangles, back in the days before Prince, MTV and ballad writers got hold of them. And that's not just because Lucky features two sisters splitting guitar and drum duties. Live A Little sports several brisk Banglesque hooks with no '90s-style distortion, and singer/guitarist Kristi Callan offers clear, strong lyrics without the pomo ironic attitude. In fact, it's Lucky's utter lack of irony that's most striking. Callan is as guileless and straightforward as a country singer, offering such earnest advice as: "Live a little; don't you leave with regrets" and "You trip, you fall, you live and learn." It has the potential to be as annoying as a perky Kathie Lee Gifford commercial, but somehow it's not. Callan's delivery is convincingly sincere, especially when she's on a self-analysis bent. (I had potential...what am I doing with medical and dental?") And musically, Lucky offers clean, guitar-based pop that's as catchy as it is familiar, with more nods to the Byrds and Beatles than to any modern bands. Lucky isn't groundbreaking, but the band pulls off the equally difficult task of being uplifting without being corny.
- Lisa Gidley, 9/96