Album Review: Simply Miraculous from Kristen R. Bromley

Album:  Simply Miraculous
Artist:  Kristen R. Bromley
Label:  Kristen R. Bromley Music, LLC
Website:  www.kristenbromley.com

Guitarist Kristen R. Bromley demonstrates a blues palette emblematic of Les Paul enhanced by lyrical sensibilities liken to Chet Atkins.  Old school Midwest country-folk meets contemporary blues guitar on Bromley's latest recording Simply Miraculous, a title that was inspired by her personal experience to overcome a debilitating injury to her arm.  A collection of original tunes and covers of hymns, the tracks display her talent as a driving force in each arrangement.

Concentration is focused on the design of each number, adorned in finely syncopated beats milled by bassist Matt Larsen and drummer Jay Lawrence paired with Bromley's freestyle musings.  The trio move in harmony, performing with a sense of each other's space in the music.  The silky lines of Bromley's guitar have a lyrical-woolgathering stride webbed along "I Know My Redeemer:  He Lives!" as the chords are cradled in the soft rocking rhythm of the bass and drums.  Exhibiting a Midwest-style funk in the title track, Bromley strums a pivoting action in the chord patterns steeled by the firmness of the drumbeats.  The recording changes course in "The I's Are Si"ll"ent," fashioning a cool jazz atmosphere that turns to a smooth blues timbre through "Winter Sundown."

Educated at Brigham Young University, Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, and Boston University, Kristen Bromley demonstrates her inclination to modernize old school blues.   A composer, arranger, performer, and guitarist, Bromley is the driving force in these tracks, showing an unwavering vigor and musical sensibilities that comes through to the listener.

Musicians:
Kristen R. Bromley - guitar
Matt Larson - bass
Jay Lawrence - drums