Plan of Attack

Peter Sarsdedt’s 1969 one hit wonder ‘Where Do You Go To My Lovely’ isn’t the kind of song you would expect a gifted young Nashville based singer-songwriter to embrace. But Sandra McCracken’s sparkling version on her album, Best Laid Plans brings a whole new meaning to that old chestnut.
“It wasn’t a hit in the States and I wasn’t even born when it came out first so I came to it kind of fresh,” she says. “I learned it from a friend of mine who I was writing with – he just started playing it and I was intrigued. There’s something about it that really transcended music styles. The song’s basic message is really about the fact that who we are is not based on who we hang out with.”
Not that McCracken needs to rely on covers to showcase her talents. Best Laid Plans – her first major international release has more than enough strong original songs like ‘Last Goodbye’ ‘Took You For Granted’ and ‘No More Tears’ performed in a style not dissimilar to that of Lucinda Williams, Shelby Lynn or Patty Griffin.
“I grew up listening to a lot of pop rock stuff like The Eagles, but I’ve always gravitated towards folk music,” she explains. “Some of my favourite performances are by people who get up on stage with just one voice and one guitar and who take you on a journey, which is what I’ve been doing for the last five or six years. I’ve put out independent records, which I’ve sold at shows and on the internet but this is my first proper release.”
Though she was raised in the Mid-West McCracken has based herself in Nashville for the past few years. How has she found Music City?
“It’s worked out great for me,” she says. “You’ve got the industry here and everyone wants to be discovered and there’s all that side of it. But there’s a real music community here as well. When I came to Nashville first I wasn’t really ambitious about the monetary side of it, or about getting noticed. It was the creative environment that really attracted me. There’s a young underground scene of songwriters that are like me and the competition has been healthy.”
McCracken is signed to Shell Records, a label set up by Dave Robinson, the founder of the legendary Stiff label. Robinson, who was on the lookout for a singer-songwriter, apparently contacted McCracken within hours of having heard one of her songs. The results have been immediate and McCracken has found herself play-listed on Bob Harris’s hugely influential country show on BBC Radio 2.
“One of the things I’ve realised is that you have to surround yourself with people who are trustworthy,” she says. “I’ve just been impressed with Dave Robinson and how he works, which is mainly on his own instincts. There’ve been so many offers that have come up and I was so close to signing other deals. But it would just have been a quick fix. These are the right people and I feel good about the timing. I’m excited about being in a new fresh place.”