The Naysayer

The Naysayer is a country-rock band founded in 2000 by singer-songwriter Anna Padgett and former Retsin drummer Cynthia Nelson.

History
The Naysayer released their debut album, Deathwhisker, in 2001 on Carrot Top Records; Tara Jane O'Neil joined the group to work on the album. They released their second album, Heaven, Hell, or Houston, in 2002, which introduced a bigger sound than was present on their debut album. In 2003, they released the five-track EP Pure Beauty. They have released three full-length albums since then: Kitten Time (2004), Smoke Reality (2006), and Laid to Rest. The first two of these were released on Red Panda Records, whereas Laid to Rest was released on Reaper Records. They have also released the EP No Remorse, also on Reaper Records.

Critical reception
Franklin Bruno wrote in CMJ that Pure Beauty "filters her [Padgett's] sensibility through country music's formal and narrative conventions even more completely than Heaven, Hell, or Houston, with mixed results." Robert Christgau was more favorable, describing the five songs on the EP as "quietly outrageous" and "wickedly funny".