Review: Stephanie Martin's APRIL SNOW Album

Stephanie Martin is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has enjoyed a varied career, but most notably in musical theatre. She starred in three productions of Les Miserables as Eponine and provided the Quebec French singing voice of Pocahontas for the 1995 Disney filM. Martin's last studio album - Shape, Line and Harmony - was released in 2007 to critical acclaim, and after a nine-year wait, her eagerly anticipated second CD, April Snow, was released earlier this year, when it reached number two in the iTunes Top 100 Adult Contemporary music chart.

Martin claims her inspirations for April Snow include Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, both of whom are proudly nodded to throughout the album. Although much of her time is now spent touring North America with symphonies performing a pop repertoire, Martin is also an avid songwriter and all numbers on this CD are co-written by herself and Producer Chad Irschick. Lyrically, every song is pure poetry and on paper could even be read as such. It feels like a country record in part and showcases Martin's stellar vocals on every track. She also excels when working and harmonising with the backing vocalists, particularly on "A Thousand Goodbye Letters" and "Walk In The Light".

The use of electric guitar on "Circle Of Elders" is superb and stands out musically on the album. As a collective, the 'sound' they are trying to create can become a little repetitive and differentiating the numbers from one another is sometimes difficult. As standalone songs and with Martin's songbird vocals, however, they are first class.

Stephanie Martin's April Snow is out now and is available from all major online retailers.