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the wanderlust diaries
album review
by erin thursby
scopes1925@msn.com


Artist:
Mary Karlzen

Title:
The Wanderlust Diaries

Release Date:
03.20.07

Label:
Dualtone
      With a vocal quality that seems to be simultaneously rough-edged and baby-girl youthful, Mary Karlzen is continuing to make her mark on the world of chick-folk/rock. In 1994 she released her second album, Yelling at Mary, with Atlantic Records. Disappointed in how Atlantic handled her promotions, she went back to an indie label. When she started recording her current record, The Wanderlust Diaries, she didn’t even have a label in mind, but Dualtone Music Group soon showed interest.

      There’s no doubt she’s got appeal and all the songs on the album are comfortably familiar, but she doesn’t break new ground. She gets away with tired lyrics and themes because she’s a chick and she has a voice that’s fun to listen to. Many songs feature lyrics that hit on oft-repeated themes. The melody and the lyrics were not terribly original, but I liked Karlzen’s vocal delivery. She sells the song.

      She wasn’t without surprises. ‘Skyway’ has definite old-school country influence I wasn’t entirely prepared for. While these songs might not be totally interesting, their girl-folk sound is enough to attract any girl looking for songs to play after a break-up or on a lazy summer day. Karlzen makes most of the songs multi-purpose, without being incredibly generic. She makes ‘Oh My’ sound incredibly upbeat and despairing at the same time.

      Whatever criticisms I might have about her lyrics, she’s still an artistic genius; she made me care about stuff I’ve heard a thousand times in other songs simply because of her delivery.

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