Feel Free

Every aspect of Carolyn Arends' second album moves her forward, expanding on the melodic folk-pop of her debut, I Can Hear You. Brown Bannister again appears as producer (with Arends this time sharing co-production credit), and they've toughened up the sound, with tracks like "Do What You Do" taking on elements of mid-'90s power pop. Arends sings with increased assurance, obviously having gained confidence with experience, and the band plays with a professionalism that never becomes bland. The lyrics to Arends' songs on Feel Free are more incisive than on I Can Hear You. For many of these , she sticks to delivering inspirational messages centered on dealing with the challenges of life. For instance, "Feel Free" carries a message of friendship, while "Good Thing Going" concerns the challenges of making a long-term relationship work. Of course, there are praise songs, the best of which is the closer "Father, Thy Will Be Done." Instead of sounding like she's slavishly following in Amy Grant's footsteps — as she did on her first album — Arends performs and writes much closer to a CCM version of Aimee Mann's melodic pop. Arends is one of the most promising young talents in the world of CCM; Feel Free doesn't suffer a sophomore slump, demonstrating that both her performing and writing skills continue to grow.