REVIEW: Local artist sings from her heart
In all my high school memories, one stands out. Picture a picnic pavilion at a local park, a bunch of teenagers standing on top of a pile of wooden pallets they’ve fashioned into a makeshift stage, and hanging from the rafters are Christmas lights and a reindeer figurine some kid stole from his mom’s garage. They’re there with their cheap guitars and even cheaper microphones, blasting their not-so great songs as people try to mosh with the 20 other people there.
There’s just something cool about local music.
Sure, big-name bands are always great to go see, but it’s always satisfying to see the guys from down the street play a show in somebody’s tricked-out garage. The simple naivety of a band that doesn’t really care about making it big is appealing – you know their music is honest, even if it may be lame.
It just makes it that much better when the guys from down the street are good.
Here in Utah, we’re actually quite lucky to have some great local music. Bands like Colors, Viewers Like You and Double or Nothing have been playing locally for quite a while now, and other local artists such as The Used, Neon Trees, Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband and Brandon Flowers have gained national and worldwide recognition. Some of this is due to radio stations like X96 having a local music segment on their shows, but the fact of the matter is that whether or not they’re making money, local artists are going to keep playing.
If you’re a fan of local music, I may have found you someone new.
Sarah Olsen is a sophomore studying music therapy here at Utah State. From Young Ward, Utah, she’s the definition of local talent. She released her first album last spring, titled “Just Another Day.” Produced by Russ Dixon of local band Colors, this is a strong debut album.
Olsen’s music is nice and mellow, often featuring just an acoustic guitar and Olsen’s beautiful voice. Her voice is definitely the most impressive part of the album. Its clear tone is incredibly beautiful and easy to listen to.
For example, the song “Declaring Independence” features a high melody that really shows off her vocals, the clarity of her voice in that higher range is impressive. The song has a great message as well, that you don’t need to wait for someone else to give you self-worth, that it comes from within.
It is somewhat akin to the title track, “Just Another Day,” a song that speaks of the importance of picking yourself up and moving on. As the song says, “The sun comes out again tomorrow.” The song shows Olsen’s belief that through faith in God, we can move on, as does the song “God’s Love,” a song about the influence of God in her life.
The song “Fireflies” is a heartfelt song about the joys of childhood, a beautiful ode to Olsen’s little sister that features Dixon on backup vocals. “Lucky Penny” has that same type of youthful charm, the happy energy of it makes you want to find a girl and dance, or skip down the sidewalk or something.
The album as a whole is not very long, only nine tracks long. The lyrics are simple yet satisfying, although you can tell it is Olsen’s first album. They aren’t the most poetic lyrics you’ve ever heard, but it’s almost hard to complain about them. The good thing about them is they are incredibly honest, you can tell that Olsen means what she says in her songs. Again, that is one of the virtues of local music, you find artists that are truer to their thoughts and beliefs in their music than many millionaire artists.
Again, the strongest part of the album is Olsen’s voice. With a voice like she’s got, I eagerly await more from this great local artist. If you want to hear her music, she will be playing with mandolinist Sam Wright and drummer Jay Nygaard at Fredrico’s pizzeria Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
– rex.colin.mitchell@gmail.com