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Artist: Aimee Van Dyne
Album: "Owning Up"
CD Review: Aimee Van Dyne mixes the acoustic simplicity of folk rock with a jazz and light funk influence to come up with a promising set of 5 songs on this CD. Van Dyne's mellow sophistication seems like it would be more at home in the coffee shops of the West Coast than in her native New York, but it just goes to show that good music can find an audience anywhere.

My favorite is "Lonely Me", a catchy, country-influenced song that sticks in your head without being insipid. Another strong track is "Owning Up", an introspective piece about responsibility and determination, an antidote to the "me, me, me" mentality too often seen in today's performers.

Some of the tracks tend to get a little repetitive; more dynamics might help, or tightening up the form a little. "Not Even You" and "Why Should I Care?" both have good, solid grooves, but they need more memorable melodies.

But by and large this is a promising effort from Van Dyne, whose clear, honest vocals and modern sense of harmony will carry the day for her.

For more information about Aimee Van Dyne, visit www.aimeevandyne.com.