"Love Me 'Til Dawn" is a classy, classic ballad with a distinct '40s or '50s feel, highlighted by Brent's warm, husky croon. The lack of diva theatrics makes this warm, inviting, and alluring. "Afraid to Let Go" is a slice of sophisticated jazz pop. Brent covers the Gershwin tune "The Man I Love" (just saying that makes me want to watch The Fisher King), one of several covers she mixes with her own compositions.
The album closes with "Until I Die," a song that opens with so many elements of classic Carole King – the vocal and arrangement in particular – that morphs into a gospel production. "Until I Die" does what any great closing song should do. It makes you want to start the album all over again while still providing a satisfying sense of closure.
Mississippi Number One is diverse in sound without being chaotic. The mix of blues, jazz, soul, R&B, and pop is well executed. These differing elements work because so many of them draw from the same roots, and roots are a huge part of what this album is all about. It's a real feat to be this free and easy without being vapid and to be a history lesson and road map of American music without being stiff or dry. From beginning to end, Mississippi Number One is a triumph.
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