Licity Collins - One Girl Town (2018)

With a unique and engaging voice reminiscent of cult singer/songwriters Jill Sobule and Brenda Kahn, Licity Collins does the standard soul-searching subject matter you’d expect on her debut release.

Most songs are of the folky, stripped-down nature, and lyrically Collins doesn’t break any new ground. Having said that, you definitely get the feeling that she’s writing from a sincere and honest place, emotionally speaking, which is more than a lot of songwriters can say these days. And locals should keep an ear out for a sweet Ventura reference on the ballad “Sometimes.”

While a little on the light side for a full-length at just nine songs, listeners still get their money’s worth with One Girl Town. Nearly every song on the record is over the five-minute mark. Several tracks, however, leave you with the feeling that a minute or so less would probably have been beneficial to the songs overall.

And that’s a good example of why having a full-length album and not a single or an EP as your first recorded introduction to the world can be so risky. One gets the feeling that Collins is still discovering her writing and recording potential and a full-length may be a bit much out of the gate.

But who knows? When you’re an artist as passionate as Collins clearly is, you probably have no choice but to let the world hear everything you have to say. Ready or not, you have to respect that. Definitely a local artist to keep an eye on.