Okay, so I went in knowing basically nothing about Audren, and that’s probably the best way to hear this record. No context, no expectations. Just eleven tracks and a lot of genre-blurring that takes a few songs to get used to.
A New Page kicks things off with acoustic guitar and these neoclassical strings that feel almost fragile. It’s a soft entry for an album that gets a lot bolder as it goes. By the time We Want Funkey shows up at track six, you’ve already moved through gospel (The Good Road), a neo soul slow-burner, and a ballad about homelessness (Flowers In The Snow) that really shouldn’t work as well as it does. It does though.
What carries the whole thing is Audren’s voice. She’s got a lot of technical ability, falsettos included, but she doesn’t lean on it the way some singers do when they clearly can. The restraint is the thing. We’re All Lost is probably the track that stuck with me most. It’s quiet and a little unsettling in a way that’s hard to explain.
The album title is a nod to Aretha Franklin’s Think!. That’s a big shadow to tip your hat to. Audren earns it. If you’re into music that actually takes its time and goes somewhere, worth your afternoon. Follow Audren on Instagram and add her to your Spotify.
Follow Audren: Instagram – Spotify
