Regular Columnists

Artist: Abbie Gardner
Website: http://www.abbiegardner.com/
Genre: Acoustic Folk/Rock
CD Review:
Abbie’s 3-song ep thunks to life like a 3-wheeled train dead in the middle of Kansas. Attituded folk or acoustic rock, the rhythm clap that Abbie wanks out of ‘Violet’ is a pleasantly confident approach toward attention grabbing. Singing of the violet sky, one can’t help but hear a girlie-woman that knows herself yet searches for the meaning in others.

The sad solo of ‘Rosie Knows Something’ pulls as the heart’s strings as well as the slight skip among the guitar chords. It’s a beautiful voice. She’ll hold a note until it changes color, usually from blue to orange or the other way around. A little Janis, a little Alanis, a whole lot of soul that feels too much but wouldn’t have it any other way.

The delayed funk of end song ‘Temptation’ struts on like a leathered school girl who knows all brown eyes are glued to her back pockets. The slap of the bass swivels the hips, while Abbie’s story poses the old question, should I or shouldn’t I? Uh oh, she can’t say no. ‘And the stranger sitting next to me / lookin’ so much closer and sweeter than memory.’

However old Abbie may be, she’s got enough of a voice now to wow an audience of 100k if she had a Spice Girls producer behind her. What you’ll hear in her svelte-voiced, highly characterized grooves is great love for The Song, and an uncanny ability to get it hot and fried and on your plate with one adept flip.