Full Review

Adrienne Young – Room to Grow

Although Florida born, Nashville based Adrienne Young will be a new name to many, we carried her excellent debut album on release, and in the intervening couple of years she has gone on to develop her rustic Americana roots sound into something a little more distinct that will appeal to both fans of singer/songwriters and traditional American music.

While her American roots are plainly evident in her superb banjo picking and the use fiddle on many tracks, the overall sound is a little more polished than before and the instrumentation more varied – it’s a good move as ‘Room to Grow’ feels like a substantial disc where rootsiness, strong melodies and sophisticated production meet to create an engaging collection of songs.

An advocate of sustainable agriculture and community gardening (her debut disc comes with a pack of seeds, this album with a beautiful sticker) these causes are themes that show up in her songs, images of nature, the earth and individual responsibility combine with traditional singer/songwriter subjects to create a distinct mix.

Adrienne is an excellent songwriter, and like her earlier work she collaborates with Will Kimbrough on a number of tracks and the albums’ highpoints come from this writing combination with ‘All for Good’, ‘Room to Grow’ and ‘Giving up the Fight’ all memorable songs.

Her slightly husky, but rich vocals are perfect for this mix of roots/Americana and melody led singer/songwriter material - she’s strong enough to be heard above the rich mixes and smooth enough to allow the melodies to glide over the listener.

‘Room to Grow’ is another superb album from Adrienne, and she stands out as a real individual in a sea of ‘me too’ Nashville based singer/songwriters. Very highly recommended.