Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Canadian songstress Carolyn Arends has always said that the whole of life is potential inspiration for songs and after her debut album was released I challenged her to write a song about going to the toilet. With every new release I wonder_ nope, one listen to this album and it's clear inspiration has come from elsewhere. Oh well, maybe next time! For her third album Carolyn has pitched the sound somewhere between the roots of her debut and the rock of her second project. Warm and friendly, her songwriting touches the deepest parts of life so you get the humour of the struggles of a bad day in "Life Is Long" as well as the insightful "Life And Death" and the celebration of the birth of her son Benjamin in "We've Been Waiting For You". If you haven't yet discovered her, the brilliant thing about Carolyn Arends is the cre­ativity of her lyrics which always strike such powerful chords when I hear her music. Sound wise, it's a straight blend of rock'n'roots with catchy choruses and plenty of clever bits to keep your attention! The album itself was born out of an emotional roller coaster that Carolyn has recently been destined to ride. At one point recording was halted because of voice problems and she wondered whether she would be able to sing again. Happily, it worked out and in the end, this is singer/songwriter heaven. If you want intelligent, insightful, imagina­tive songs that are the stuff of life, here it is! If you want songs about sitting on toilets, you'll have to wait until next time (maybe).

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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