CD Reviews: Judith Owen - Mopping up Karma

By Susie Kopecky

Judith Owen, well done. The songbird's new album, Mopping Up Karma, is a delicious treat. It's hard to pigeonhole in terms of genre, as the chameleon of a singer changes her tune every new track. I listened to her new CD without knowing a thing about her. And I came away from it wondering how I never could have heard of her before. She has some serious talent on her side. The only way I could truly describe her style is to compare her voice to the voices of some well-known and richly talented singers, including Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple, Enya and Amy Lee, of the band Evanescence.

Deep, rich strains of Fiona Apple-esque lyrics creep in from time to time, to great effect. Owen's voice is a rich and full affair, and she uses it for all it's worth. Her latest work runs the gamut of happy, loving number to mysterious, even regretful lyrics, which speak directly to the listener, even inspire. "Creatures of Habit" is a catchy number that radiates with a number of different genre twists. Within a minute, I distinctly heard strains of smooth late '70s/early '80s romantic ballads, and also bluegrass. "Ruby Red Lips" is a beautiful, haunting and somewhat familiar tune. Listen to the lyrics between the Enya-esque chorus. "Get Into It" is another retro rock homage, with flair. There are 13 tracks in whole, and I can honestly say that there isn't one track I didn't enjoy hearing, both for its virtue as a musical composition but also for the element of surprise it would be packing. I actually began to anticipate an entirely new and surprising musical exchange every time a new track came up. Owen takes us on a trip through her own growth as a person, with each different track touching on a different facet of her personal feelings on her own life, and on the world around her. The piano is often her instrument of choice, much like popular singer/songwriters of today. Owen may just turn out to be the surprise hit of the summer . . . she certainly deserves to be.

You can rate the album online at TheCelebrityCafe.com