Suzanne Smith
Lace & Denim Music
Country Songwriter • Corona, CA USA

Everything You Are

Although I don't taut myself as a music review writer, as a song writer I do know and appreciate good singing, musical arrangements and song lyrics. Listening to Lolene's latest album several words came to mind such as, "wow!", excellent", "beautiful" and "unique" to name a few. From the choice of material to the distinct sound of Lolene's vocals and on down the line to the the brilliant musicians, back up vocals and production of the album by Danny Parks, this is to me by far a combined effort of excellence by all involved.

Let's take an adventure through the songs beginning with the lead track, "Concrete Ribbon." Lolene's vocals truly shine on this song. Very strong with that typical "Lolene" attitude of all of her recordings. It rocks both vocally and instrumentally with some great lyrics. Next, one of my favorites, "A Life Less Ordinary" beautifully weaves a story of a desire to make some changes in life. A fun song lyrically. "Clean Up' has a great beat and once again, strong vocals on Lolene's part. A real sassy, toe tapping song and another of my favorites.

"Let Me Love You", a beautiful love song which demonstrates Lolene's unmistakable sultry, smoky vocals and range. This song's beauty and intensity combining her style and the wonderful instrumentals left me with chills. Brilliant lyrics with picturesque lines like, "you're the desert I'm the rain" lend warmth and depth to the story within the song. A definite A+ in my book. I love this one. Next, the title track, "Everything You Are" stands out as a true romantic ballad. Haunting, strong lyrics and a wonderfully orchestrated arrangement and lovely melody. A very easy listening song, smooth and simply beautiful both vocally and instrumentally.

Picking up the tempo with "Hold Out For Love", a message of waiting for the right and perfect love to come along. A wonderful joint effort on behalf of the writers, Danny Parks and Gail Davies and complimented by Lolene's vocals and style along with the great instrumentals and arrangement. "Love Is What You Had" is a touching song of love lost. A perfect example of, "you don't know what you had until you've lost it", this song spins a circle on that phrase with lines like, "love is what you had, love is what you lost. Now you want it back......" "The Same Moon" has a great story line and lyrics. Just one of LaBountry and Mclaughlin's great joint efforts found on this album. A very smooth song.

"We Can Find Our Way" has some wonderful guitar playing complimenting the vocals and lyrics. Once again, Lolene's vocals shine on this one. "You Rock" is a fun up beat song. Country with a real pop flavor and great lyrics. Lolene and the musicians really deliver on this one. Wonderful keyboard and dobro add some spice to this song.

Ending the album is "Relentless" written by Danny Parks and Bill LaBounty. Opening slow with Lolene's smooth, sultry delivery, it crescendos into a strong chorus with great vocals from Lolene and the back up singers. Parks did some beautiful guitar picking throughout the song and on the instrumentals solos on this one.

This album is a great listening adventure. Truly unique with a diverse selection of songs that showcase Lolene's superb vocals. The writers, musicians, backup vocals and musical arrangements are excellent. Production by Danny Parks, a brilliant musician, is second to none. He really proved he has yet another hat to wear sitting in the producer's seat. This album is Lolene at her finest, complimented by all of the talented people behind the songs.