Listening to singer/songwriter Staci Frenes' (http://www.stacifrenes.com) voice is akin to swallowing honey; it is sweet and rich, conveying enough warmth to soothe the coldest of afternoons. For a summertime drive, "Nothing Short of Amazing" is a suitable soundtrack. Most acoustic pop/rock albums are moody and slow, but "Nothing Short of Amazing" moves along at a brisk pace, giving the record a breezy vibe that is breathtakingly pretty.
"Don't fast forward, don't rewind/You've been living out of time," sings Frenes on "Right Now," and much of the record features such sentiments. Frenes' mission, it seems, is to make us put the past behind us and discover what is really important in life.
There's a cathartic quality to her album like she's trying to let go of a failed romance. All of us carry emotional wounds, and sometimes it's difficult for them to heal. To Frenes, the answers to her questions are from her spiritual faith albeit more subtly than other artists who praise God in rock & roll. In the sparkling "Surprise Me," Frenes sings, "I take my time, enjoy the view/Every mile new miracles unfold." It reads like lovely poetry; with the radiant jangle of her music behind it, the song is transcendent.
|
The sweeping guitars of "Safe Place to Land" is the most marvelously cut gem on the CD. It is also clever in its wording. "Safe Place to Land" doesn't seem like a Christian song until you've already been hooked by it.
Talk about truth in advertising; this album truly is "Nothing Short of Amazing."
|
