Review: Lin McEwan - Now I Know EP

Lin McEwan - Now I Know
2008, Lin McEwan

Lin McEwan is an anomaly worth taking note. Take a look at the cover of her EP Now I Know, and she looks the part of usual pop princess. Pop in the CD and you hear a piano opening that sounds like it could be one of a thousand mellow pop albums, and then she sings. And what you hear is not the typically adenoidal voice of today's pop minions, but a full colorful voice more rmeiniscent of Cassandra Wilson than Jessica Simpson. Full of vibrato and dark alto coloring, Lin McEwan may be one of the most unique and enjoyable voices in pop music at the moment.

The EP opens with Rest Of Me, an ode to the pieces of us that get lost on the road to whom we become. The song is incredible, and while it's perhaps a little too emotionally deep for pop radio, I suspect it would outsell many of its contemporaries with the right push. Feel is about getting back to the base of human emotion and instinct in a relationship. This song in particular shows off the vermillion colors of Lin McEwan's voice, and would be an incredible live experience. The EP closes with Now I Know, a jazzy little number that really underscore the comparison to Cassandra Wilson.

Not everyone is going to like Lin McEwan. Her voice is going to grate on some people because it is not your typical rock/pop voice, but Now I Know is an excellent introduction to Lin McEwan. I would say that Lin McEwan's voice is as iconic as she herself may someday be.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Lin McEwan at www.linmcewan.com. Now I Know is a digital EP available on iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody and Emusic.