Album Notes

Indie-Music.com Review
By: Catherine Tully

Distant Light is a 4-track EP by Pennsylvania singer/songwriter Alicia Keister. The album is a forerunner to her full-length CD, due out in July 2006. You'll find three original songs on this one, written by Keister and songwriting partner James Brumbaugh. The last track on the album, "Gloria," is a cover song, written by Nathan and Christy Nockels.

Track 1, "Mirror Check," has some interesting and thought-provoking lyrics relating to the constant internal struggle with good and evil:

Goodbye Holy Angel; hello Son of Sam
It's hard to tell each moment which one of you I am
Shrouded in duplicity in my word and deed
Creating this disparity between what I want and what I really need ...

Track 2, "Distant Light," is by far my favorite track. Keister uses the lower range of her voice, which highlights the feeling of the lyrics, which reflect a faith in God and a sense of peace.

Track 3, "This Old Man," brings some skilled guitar playing forward and puts out a message of salvation. The old man in the song learns that money isn't the road to happiness -- but the song is not overly preachy, and the music is good.

The cover song, "Gloria," melds well with the other songs on the album, but I prefer the first three tracks. I like when singers do their own music. Keister's voice seems to ring forth the truth she seeks best when she is behind the wheel of the lyrics on which she has collaborated.

I liked the sense of faith and God on the CD. It seems to be very genuine and lacks the "preachy" feel that can put some people off. Keister seems like she is ready for the ride, and by this time next year we should see her shine in her new full-length album.

"A stunningly talented young artist."
-The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA

Alicia Keister breaks onto the independent music scene with her self-titled
EP. This EP contains three original songs that Keister wrote with friend,
James Brumbaugh. Brumbaugh's lyrics are introspective and carefully written
with melodies that will leave you humming. Keister, who wrote and recorded
all of the vocal arrangements herself, skillfully uses her powerful voice to
infuse meaning into the lyrics of each song. This EP is sure to be the
start of a long and illustrious independent career.
As most artists, Keister became interested in music at a young age. She
started singing in church with her two sisters and was constantly listening
to the radio and trying to master the vocals to each song she heard.
Keister first picked up a guitar during the summer of her freshman year in
high school. She soon realized that the strings were backwards -- she is
left-handed. So she restrung the guitar to teach herself to play. Keister
wrote her first song at the age of 15 and continued to explore songwriting
with her first songwriting partner, Vanessa DeVett, and first band, "At His
Feet." It is with this band that she recorded her first album, "A Place to
Go."
When the members of "At His Feet" went their separate ways, Keister decided
to form her own band, "Fade Forward." This band had a harder edge and
focused on more of a full band sound.
Today she is exploring her options as a solo artist. A music teacher by
day, she is an inspired talent by night, weaving beautifully written lyrics
and melodies with her dynamic voice in coffeehouses and churches throughout
Central Pennsylvania.
Be one of the first to discover one of Pennsylvania's finest