I know it’s unfair to compare a 25-year-old independent artist with an Americana legend like Lucinda Williams—and from what I gather, Kinnard’s tired of hearing about it—but it’s just uncanny how much the Pennsylvania native sounds like her. Still, even in Williams’ shadow, Kinnard shows promise as a songwriter and her beautifully-aching voice and heartfelt lyrics make this debut an enjoyable listen.
Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the album offer’s a glimpse of what Kinnard’s capable of—lonesome ballads draped in Wurlitzer and accordion; luscious lap-steel-anchored waltzes punctuated by tambourine and shaker; spare acoustic guitar and banjo numbers; and a downright trippy cover of the old Gospel standard, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” A preacher’s kid who sang in church choirs growing up, Kinnard also invokes country-blues, folk, ragtime and—on some of the album’s latter tracks—a dark, Southern-gothic vibe. Rumor has it she sold her Harley-Davidson to finance this record. You can’t get much more rock’n’roll than that.