Aware of this albums production over the past two years, I was leery of writing a review at first. I had formed my own biased expectations over such time and as a result, I was fearful of writing an unfair assessment of what I listened to. So, to remedy the situation, I waited no less than two months to give the album a good ten listens before writing a review. The end result? Well, for starters, a permanent placement in my 60 disk changer hall of fame. This album is what I like to refer to as a time release CD. It gets better with time. The point being that the hybrid of musical styles on one album could throw a lot of people off. Unfortunately, most people like their music served to them like meat and potato's. Paint by numbers and no surprises. Fortunately for music's free thinkers, this offering dives into many varieties of style and structure. It is abundantly clear how much Linda has grown musically since hearing her early demos in 2004. She showcased a portion of that growth on "Suicidal Thoughts," a guest vocal track she contributed to Shortyo's 2005 Death Notice album. 
 
    "A New Beginning" contains 14 tracks. On track one, Linda strongly states that "Nobody Really Knows Me." She makes attempts at changing that by painting a musical landscape of her life, especially on tracks such as "The Pain Inside," "Karma" and "I'm Worthy." The latter two being deserving of Modern Pop radio play. "You Left Without a Goodbye" features a beautiful Flamenco guitar solo. "Shady Town" starts off with a Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe while Pink Eyelashes carries you with a Punk Rock vibe, reminiscent of early Blondie. She even recorded a Spanish version of this song at the end of the album.
 
     All in all, this is a great record. Give the variation of songs time to absorb into your mindset and you will truely be rewarded. Great music for driving this summer or just hanging out with your friends. Buy it and enjoy!
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I don't believe that I have ever heard anything like Linda Lopez's A New Beginning.  It's an important album with the hooks to grab anyone's attention.  Pink Eyelashes stayed in my head all day the first time I heard it, and it now has a permanent spot on my feel-good songs playlist.  It's the type of song you pop into your CD player when you're driving around town with your windows rolled down.  It's just brilliant.  Linda's proclamations of independence and refusal to compromise herself are conveyed through songs like Nobody Really Knows Me and Just A Girl.  I'm Worthy is a moody track that keeps your head bopping, while Karma showcases Linda's range. My personal favorite has to be The Pain Inside.  It's sound is melancholy, but beautiful.  
The whole album comes together perfectly, and I believe it fills a void that so many other young singer/songwriters were unable to fill.  A New Beginning not only showcases great songs, but a powerful vocalist as well.  Linda's voice has a pleasantly distinct tone to it that is unlike any voice I have ever heard.  Linda's great voice and music make this album an extremely impressive debut that I would recommend to anyone.  If you don't already have it, then you should definitely get one...and another for a friend. :)  You won't be disappointed!
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very new and different sound. for me, this album really is an aquired sound. Because I know Linda i'm very proud of her for accomplishing this goal of hers, but professionally speaking I'm not sure if this album is going to get alot of major label attention. I see a strong underground following developing. Thats not always a bad thing though! Just ask Dave Matthews or Ben Harper!
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This CD has proved to be more than worth the wait. As many people as there are doing what she does, she's one of the very few that not only does it better, but make it sound and look so good. Must own! For real, for real!
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