he moment you press play, Brainna Lane's breathy-yet-firm delivery, breezy melodies, and winsome guitar picking will certainly evoke warm memories of Lilith Fair era icons Lisa Loeb, Mary Lou Lord, and perhaps Juliana Hatfield. But that's not to say she's a retro folkie or a softie either. "Radiator," her sophomore effort, is a mostly mellow affair bolstered by sinewy, understated arrangements, cinematic lyrics, and razor sharp musicianship. Produced and mixed by bassist / keyboardist Evan Brubaker, the album also boasts a panoramic live-in-the-studio mix, with acoustic guitars sounding rich and full, Joel Litwin's crackling drums resonating from speaker to speaker, and Lane's vocals dead center. Though her music is steeped in the contemporary folk ethos of confessional story telling, Lane and company keep it interesting. "Wrong Hands," a galloping country rocker which could have set comfortably on an old Lee Hazelwood / Nancy Sinatra record, is the stuff of spaghetti westerns as the singer bemoans that she's "spooning in this big bead / can't get to sleep / 'cause I'm in the wrong hands." (Note to artist: this is a scintillating music video screenplay in waiting.) Brubaker purveys a retro Al Kooper-ish organ foundation for the infectious mid-tempo rocker "Sad Songs," which is further embellished with subdued yet crunchy guitar licks. Lane's tender solo flight "Man In The Moon" is made even more haunting by her brief legato, a capella passages. And Lane pours on the hooks in "The Good Guys" a song of a single mother and only child, as well as in and the opening cut "Downpour," which excels by way of its menacing, repetitive guitar riffs abetted by Jonathan Klingman's distorted power chords. The record concludes with the stark, desolate "Bullets," a cut brimming with distant, minimalist piano lines which underpin the libretto "baby get your gun / I'm ready to fight tonight / I just might have a bullet of a song to make you cry." Now if that's not laying down a gauntlet, I don't know what is...
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I just got it, and I've got at least five favorite songs already!  (I've bought some CDs only to find one good song.)  Radiator delivers. The production quality is very good also.
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Simply brilliant.  One of the best records released by anyone last year.  Brianna turns lyrical phrases beautifully, and the vocal delivery is superb; airy and a little dirty at the same time, her voice is distinctive and infectious.  Solid guitar playing, and a batch of tunes that hit the sweet spot, not only as individual compositions, but as a cohesive collection.  This record has a definite vibe, a palpable ebb and flow, and the journey is such a pleasant one that I'll probably be back here to buy another copy in about a year when I wear this one out from playing it non-stop for days on end.  Also kudos to the oustanding backing band for playing their butts off and creating wonderfully evocative textures and settings for the songs.  I won't get into specific tracks because they're all too good to pick and choose, the bottom line is if you like music even a little,  you need this record.
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hi my name is Brianna and i loved your music. it was so personal and strong. i have bin through alot and i only heard a little bit of "Good Guys" and it made my think of how much i wanna be in the music busniss as a singer. well any way e-mail me at kantor16@hotmail.com!!!! well bye Brianna.
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