CD review: Sunday Lane ‘From Where You Are’
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Pop
Sunday Lane “From Where You Are” (self released)
Both California sunshine and Oklahoma earthiness infuse “From Where You Are,” the full-length debut album from singer/songwriter/musician Sunday Lane.
A Tulsa native now living in Los Angeles, Lane released last summer her first EP, “Bring Me Sunshine,” which helped her snag a gig at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, a spot on Music Connection’s Hot 100 Unsigned Artists List and two featured songs on the season premiere of the CW show “One Tree Hill.” Showcasing her crystalline vocals, keen musicianship and insightful songwriting, “From Where You Are” seems bound to keep the buzz building around the 22-year-old chanteuse.
A classically trained pianist, Lane shows off her fleet fingers on the opening track, “Get to You,” which also spotlights her lovely, slightly twangy vocals. She acknowledges her precocious ways and her bubbly side with “A Little Too Young,” a track that proves a few well-placed horns and sing-along-inducing “who ohs” can go a long way.
From the casually naturalistic opening to the insistent galloping percussion, “Let Me Go” gives Lane a chance not only to stretch her voice but also to swap her sweet songbird persona for a sexy rocker chick attitude. Lane teamed with fellow songwriter Hannah Crockett for the foot-stomper as well as the piano power ballad “Waltzing with Fire.”
The baroque, melancholy beauty of “Painted Blue,” a heartbroken ode to lost love, makes it one of the standout tracks of “From Where You Are.”
In the spirit of the best pop music, Lane’s debut LP works on multiple levels, with melodious guitar chords and earnest piano harmonies that tickle the ears and intriguing, thoughtful lyrics that hold up to repeated, closer listens.
— BAM
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