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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Review: Sara Lynn - Don't Call Me Angel


Sara Lynn - Don't Call Me Angel
2009, Steeljack Music Group


Vancouver, British Columbia's Sara Lynn is full of surprises. The Canadian chanteuse surprised with her debut album Things For You by placing two singles on Nasvhille's Music Row Country Breakout chart. Many artists would have pigeonholed based on that success and released a follow-up album heavy in Country flavor, but Sara Lynn had other ideas. Working with songwriters Jason Nickel, Richard Dolamt and Juno winner Tim Hearsey, Lynn crafted an album of material than ranges from Country and Americana to Rock, Pop, R&B and even Country. Lynn's sophomore album, Don't Call Me Angel, drops on January 26, 2010, and is a huge step forward artistically.

Don't Call Me Angel opens with the dark surf guitar stylings of Won't You Walk Me Home, a come-on song full of sensuous desire. The Hammond organ work here is a joy to hear, and Lynn gives her all on the somewhat reserved vocal line. Shadows originally appeared on Things For You, but is offered here in a dance/trance remix that juxtaposes a rock song feel with ethereal synth work over the top. On Don't Call Me Angel, Lynn takes what is essentially a country song and spices it up with gentle rock guitars and an Americana ambience. It's a decent tune but the energy here isn't what it could be. How Long follows a similar path, with Sara Lynn providing a solid if uninspiring vocal.

Sara Lynn turns a corner with Gorgeous Imperfection, a song of self-empowerment, placing personal beauty over the standards of the world at large. This is done in an almost Industrial-Trance arrangement that's intriguing. In Gorgeous Imperfection Sara Lynn has a legitimate Pop/Dance single with real potential for commercial radio. The Shape I'm In plays heavily in Americana waters with a subtle walking bass line and a sultry vocal line that all play quite nicely together. The energy drops significantly for Carried Away and A Love Like This, the latter showing some signs of life, but Lynn is back on her game for the closing track, I Love This Ride. I Love This Ride is a great Country/Rock tune with a melody that will get stuck in your brain.

Sara Lynn puts in a solid performance on Don't Call Me Angel, offering a post-genre mix of styles and sounds with definite commercial appeal. Lynn's earthy alto is laced with a bit of steel, invoking sensuality or gravity as she wishes, and the songs are well-written. When Lynn is on her game she's outstanding, but she does suffer from lapses of energy at points throughout Don't Call Me Angel. Sara Lynn is definitely worth spending a little time to get to know.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Sara Lynn at www.myspace.com/saralynnmusic or http://www.saralynnmusic/, where you can purchase a copy of Don’t Call Me Angel.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sara Lynn's website addresses are:

www.saralynnmusic.com
www.facebook.com/saralynnmusic
www.twitter.com/saralynnmusic
www.myspace.com/saralynnband