Sunday Lane - Bring Me Sunshine [EP]
Tulsa, Oklahoma native Sunday Lane is a classically trained pianist who feels more at home behind a piano than anyplace else. The 20-year old student at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California came to L.A. to chase her dreams. In the short time she's been in L.A., Sunday Lane has played some of the most sought-after venues in the city and begun to gain exposure among national media outlets. Lane's debut EP, Bring Me Sunshine, shows off her articulate blend of piano-based pop music.
Bring Me Sunshine opens with "How Long It Takes", a solid little number with Americana/rock undertones. Lane's voice is unusual and texture, sweet but with just a hint of edge underneath. This tune is about returning home after a lifetime on the road and remembering all that you've forgotten while you were gone. "A Little Hope" is solid, if a bit repetitive. "Won't Go Back Down" is repetitive and slow, dying on the vine from its own lack of inner motivation. The song is somewhat saved by Sunday Lane's vocal performance, which may remind listeners of Amanda Marshall. "Heavy Heart, Heavy Hands" and "Lack Of Color" are both bland pop tunes, deep album tracks that fill space as much as anything else. Sunday Lane closes with "Reckless One", a pop ballad about trying to make a relationship work in spite of her partner's reticence. The song might slot in well on a TV teen drama, but doesn't have much in the way of pizzazz.
Sunday Lane is a pleasure to listen to. Her voice is just off the beaten path enough to intrigue listeners, but tuneful and sweet enough to hold your attention even once the novelty has worn off. Bring Me Sunshine makes ample use of Lane's voice, but the material here is generally not ready for prime time. Sunday Lane still has some work to do to be the complete singer/songwriter artist, but with a voice like hers it's hard to imagine Sunday Lane not being heard. There's enough here to make things interesting even if based on her voice alone.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)
Learn more about Sunday Lane at www.sundaylane.com or www.myspace.com/sundaylane. Bring Me Sunshine is available as a digital EP from Amazon.com and iTunes.