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areuonsomething.com Track listing 1. Million Miles 2. This Is Your Life 3. I Wasn't A Friend 4. You Like It Clean 5. We Belong (featuring Brian May & Eric Lowen) 6. What We Can't Have 7. Heaven & Earth 8. If We Believe (featuring Brian May) 9. Do You Wanna Dance 10. Naked Truth 11. Blink of an Eye Every few years a solo artist comes along that truly fits the title of "singer / songwriter." Okay, maybe it's every decade. I'm talking about an artist that sings material that they have written themselves and have a personal bond with. Lynn Carey Saylor is one of those rare artists, and she is extraordinary. "You Like It Clean" is a disc that is radiant and emotional; a disc that sounds both accomplished and spontaneous. Saylor, besides having beauty beyond compare, has a voice that has a soothing, genuine feel to it. She's not overpowering these tracks with vocal acrobatics; instead, she lets the keen songwriting and bright melodies that she's written drive these songs home. The "down home," "girl next door" natural tenderness of her voice is really quite enchanting in a subtle way. The songs here can range from a classic rock formula ("Million Miles," "Blink Of An Eye"), to upbeat pop ("This Is Your Life"), to an "Americana" brand of adult contemporary similar to Faith Hill or Shania Twain ("Do You Wanna Dance," "You Like It Clean"). Like other artists in the female adult contemporary genre, Saylor has a kind and gentle, "au natural" appeal to her tone. The supporting cast on these songs is also something to marvel and praise. Names like Mark Schulman, former Billy Idol drummer and current Pink skinsman; keyboardist Dan Siegel, who has worked with a number of huge artists including Bela Fleck and Herbie Hancock; and Queen guitar messiah Brian May, can all be found contributing their talents on this disc. And, all of their efforts are exquisitely produced by Saylor's husband, Skip Saylor. Now, I know a lot of you lost me after I mentioned Brian May. The classic rock icon actually contributes his voice as well as his distinctive guitar tone here. With solos on the poignant "If We Believe," and another during a remake of the classic Pat Benatar hit, "We Belong," his contributions are really something special. While singing background vocals with the latter track's songwriters, Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro, May dishes out a solo near the end of the pumped up rendition that is memorable, to say the least. When you talk about this record from a lyrical standpoint, you can't help but feel that this is the heart and strength of the disc. With lyrics that address issues like race relations ("If We Believe") and the tragedies of driving drunk ("I Wasn't A Friend"), Saylor motors her songs to complete perfection. As she sings "I'd take the keys from your hand / And I'd make sure you stayed / Instead I let you drive away / I wasn't a friend yesterday" from "I Wasn't A Friend," you feel the tragic guilt of the words, but the song melody resonates with hope and light instead of something that might reside on the dark and tragic side. Only the finest songwriters are capable of such lyrical magic. |