A while back on this very website, I made the statement that I hadn’t heard a good album all year.  Well, that was before Pearl Jam and Jurassic 5 dropped theirs…and Bruce Springsteen did Pete Seeger…and we found The Lonely Hearts…and Fair…and before we finally let the critics have their way and picked up The Raconteurs.

That was also before my wife slipped Brandy Lindsey into the Civic for one of my road trips.  And I’ve got to honestly tell you, road trippin’ with Brandy Lindsey makes for a pretty good time!

I’ve never met Ms. Brandy.  Never shook her hand.  But her voice joined me recently all the way through the back roads and small towns of North Carolina and for that experience, I owe her a bit of thanks.  Her stories, words and vocals saw me through the fog and the heat on that trip, as we descended upon Winston Salem in a mad fury.  Music critics often dig for the technical qualities of musicianship in reviews or try to find how many mediocre points there are on a record and bring them to light in every way possible.  Critics forget the fact that if music moves you (and it is okay to let music move you) the songwriter and musician have done their job.  On Brandy Lindsey’s debut album, she holds her own as a musician and should pacify most of the critics, but she more than does her job in taking the listener on a journey.  The journey’s full direction is up to the listener, but Brandy makes sure the listener spends equal time with some old photographs, sorry boys, the TV Guide, fairy tales, small favors, selling doom, and all of the best songs and scenes.

As they say in the bars, “The girl can sing.”  More importantly than that fact is that the girl can write songs that truly fit her.  That may sound like a dumb statement at first glance, but if you start thinking of all the bands you’ve witnessed in bars over the years who could do excellent covers of songs that fit their style, but couldn’t write even one original song to fit their style…you’ll understand my point.  The sequencing on the album flows well.  Brandy rips into the record (All the Boys) with a fiery passion and closes with quiet abandon (The Best), letting all types of merriment and heartache fall in between.

Grasping touches of rock (All the Boys), jazz smoke (Foolin’ You, The Best) or Americana (Somebody to Love, I Do), Brandy touches it all and touches it very well.  She is inevitably going to draw comparisons to Gwen Stefani.  It’s even mentioned on her own website.  And yes, she does have some of Gwen’s vocal inflections and hints of similarities in her sound, but really…it stops there for me.  Brandy’s voice has a real weight to it and on her debut, she does a marvelous job of showcasing its pure power.  It makes you forget Gwen and concentrate on the matter at hand, namely Brandy’s view of the road.

Brandy Lindsey’s album title asks the question: who am I this time?  Well, Brandy, let me tell you.  You are the reason independent records are so damn good.  A voice coming from out of nowhere, teetering on the edge and laying down a melody any foot or ear could groove.  A new companion that assures she will always be with you for the journey. Low or high.  Soft or hard.  Warm or brisk.  Whatever path you are on, Brandy lets you know that she is someone to share the load.

In short, I’m back on the road tomorrow…and Brandy Lindsey’s coming with me.

Check Ms. Brandy out at www.brandylindsey.com