Orchid

This is an album to listen to when you're having a tough day and you really need a smile. Or when you're having a great day, and you want to keep the good vibes going. Or any time in between. There's no such thing as a bad time to listen to Olivia Frances. "Orchid" is a brilliant album, full of songs about love, taking care of yourself and the people around you, growth and change, enjoying the good times, and moving on from the bad times. It's uplifting and hopeful and grateful. It's music to feel good by. And that voice! Oh my goodness, what a voice! Olivia's first album, "Back To Happiness", released while she was still in high school (!), was a fantastic debut, and "Evergreen", released two years later, showed her growth as a singer and a songwriter. That growth as an artist continues here, and she is absolutely in her prime. Nine of the eleven tracks on "Orchid" were co-written with Michael Astrachan, one was co-written with George Irwin, and one was a solo effort by Olivia, and they are uniformly excellent. Give these songs a listen; you'll be glad you did.