Review Text
Think Amy Winehouse's retro groove, the wordly pop of Madonna, a smidgen of soulful Adele, and a pinch of Natalie Merchant-style Americana and you've found a starting point for this leg of Sara Lynn's musical journey. She may be a relative newcomer but Sara Lynn is no stranger to the U.S. music charts. "A Thing or Two" and "A Love Like This" from her debut album "Thing For You", a decidedly more Americana-flavoured outing than "Don't Call Me Angel", charted on the Music Row Country Breakout chart and on both New Music Weekly's main Country and Indie charts. With 'Don't Call Me Angel' you'll hear a tightly knit collection of smart, confident, well-crafted songs that reflect an eclectic and mature mix of music. Finding chemistry with co-writers including Richard Dolmat, Jason Nickel and Juno winner Tim Hearsey helped Sara Lynn explore musical paths she hadn't previously probed, resulting in an impressive collection of internationally-flavoured tracks that skilfully mine the rhythms and traditions of swinging jazz, dance, pop, soul, folk, electro, chill-out and Americana. It's been quite a journey to get to "Don't Call Me Angel". The hundreds of hours logged writing songs, thousands spent on large and small stages across North America, and countless time in between finding inspiration in the situations and people around her have resulted in a cohesive, fresh sound that hugs the curves of multiple genres without planting a foot firmly in any one. Check out the sexy, jazzy vibe that anchors "Walk Me Home", one of the songs that awakened Sara Lynn's new musical direction and helped her find her stride. Led by a swampy bass and Pulp Fiction-esque guitars it conjures up the heady mix of anticipation and expectation that surrounds connecting with a new lover-to-be. Another stand-out is "Storm Crow", which has a distinctly "cool flavour. Although it's more poppy and soulful it's still a bit dark." And one of the surprises of "Don't Call Me Angel" is the inclusion of "Shadows", a Spanish-flavoured track from Sara's debut album that has been given the dance remix treatment this time out. "I guess as an artist I'm taking a bit of a risk in making such an eclectic album," she admits, "but I figure you're never in the same mood all day long, and it's that way with music - albums don't have to sound the same from start to finish. People don't want the same thing over and over - that's why they make variety packs."
