Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

On a trip to Memphis in 2008, I was introduced to a singer/songwriter called Emily Olsen who was working on solo material. In the end, she formed a band with Ben Roberts, Carolina Story, and released this debut project. At the time she was studying at Visible School which could be described as a Christian School Of Rock and she stood out since she was very much drawn to country music and those influences come through here very strongly. Probably best described as Americana, the album is split into two halves. The first half features five songs performed by the band and the second half is acoustic versions of the same songs. The acoustic material shows that Olsen has a talent for writing hooky songs and when all the instruments are stripped away the simple beauty of her voice is allowed to shine. Fully clothed in a band context, this really works. Highlights include the yearning of "Shores Of Nashville", the catchy simplicity of "You" and the jaunty upbeat vibe of "History". This is a good calling card introduction and I can't wait for them to deliver a full length project.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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