Virginia's Reviews
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Abi Tapia
One Foot Out the Door (2005)

If you are one of those people (or love one of those people) who are warm, enthusiastic, quick-to-love, yet keep one foot out the door, you will find this album completely honest and emotionally dead on the mark. Tapia has written songs that are solid anthems to what she calls "loving and leaving." This must surely be the definitive album on the topic, because Tapia a master storyteller on the subject.

The tunes are down-home country, acoustic and easy-going rather than slick and over-produced. Her voice is excellent, even while slightly flawed. The musicians backing her up are top notch and the combination really works.

Every song is worthy of mention on this album, but I want to point out some of the lyrics in particular. Take "Iowa," for example. She says,

I never want to be where I am
I always want to leave
For some greener pastures
Some bluer sea, and
I always have a smile on my face
While I'm driving away...
But I cried the night
That I left Iowa
At the border there's a river
Of my tears.

I've read whole books that make an effort to describe a personality type that Tapia has summed up in that simple lyric. In "Drive Away Slow" she says,

I wish that I could make it easier
I wish that I could make you happier
Oh, babe, I got to go
But I'm going to drive away slow

The album title comes from the song "For a While." The lyric is,

I tried for a while
I was scared for a while
Then I was in love for a while
With one foot out the door

Alejandro Escovedo wrote a lyric that says, "I like you better when you walk away." A similar emotional message, but Tapia's work here is a more complex development on the theme. There is more involved that just the push-pull of loving and leaving. There is also the habit of holding on to something even after it's over—staying friends with former lovers, staying loyal to friends who are far away. In "Big Front Porch," Tapia writes,

Tell me about that boat
The one that carries two
And tell me one more time
How I can always come home to you

You don't have to be interested in the subject of these songs to enjoy this album. The songs are appealing, well sung and performed, good old roots country style music that can be danced to, sung along with, or just played as a gentle and relaxing part of your day.