Reviewed by Stephen Luff

The first album 'Never Be' released in 2006 by this former stage actress living in Brooklyn received a lot of local attention and good reviews. This, Kelley's second album, should gain her even wider attention, for well as developing the musical talent already shown, it has producer Brian Deck (Counting Crows) on board. The 10 songs here manage to cover a variety of styles, from the title track, which features an electronic banjo, to blues on "More Of Nothing", to Americana. Kelley's strength is her songwriting, which conveys an atmosphere of feeling which hits the listener head on. An example of this is "Sparrow" where the listener easily engages with the despair of the song, all to a simple backing of an acoustic guitar. The only disappointment is "BQE", which has a pre-programmed backing sounding like it came from a child's keyboard. If that is creative, it's lost on me. The last track "So Far" beautifully states "the city has our eyes and hands taking everything it can" and Kelley has allowed her life in Brooklyn to create art of the highest standard. Recommended.

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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