Today's Country

When you turn your dial to the left of the mainstream country radio stations you’ll find yourself in the middle of some of the most honest, well-written, songs that focus more on delivering them with heart and passion than on sheer marketability. For Autumn, she found a comfort zone on her debut effort with Walt Wilkins and Tim Lorsch manning the production boards so when it came time to record her sophomore album she enlisted them again to help her build further upon her sound. Her songwriting style on this album is more advanced then most of the artists that I have heard come out of the singer/songwriter genre as of late in that she has been able to find the perfect combination of storytelling while finding a sound that is easily appealing for fans across genres. Her sound ranges from modern acoustic country on the upbeat tracks like “Higher,” to Americana as best displayed on tracks like “Cowgirl Confessions,” to even a bluesy jazz feel on tracks like “Trees.” Her cover of Patty Griffin’s “Nobody’s Cryin’” brings the amazing song to life yet again, and as much as it imitates Griffin’s version, Autumn has the know how to make a cover her own while paying homage to it’s originator. Without the overproduction that so many albums have on them these days, “Velvet Sky” offers a different look at the way a song can be crafted and brought to life. Autumn’s vocal walks the perfect border of what is rough and full of grit but also remains charming while making the lyric the focal point of the song. This is a solid effort and if you like lyrics that are put together in the perfect, relatable ways then you will love this album.