Mancy A'lan Kane

Item: Mancy A'lan Kane
Author: David Reynolds

(1997)

Reviewed by David Reynolds

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Label Pioneer Music GroupThe Blue Star Journal July 1997July 1997

folk pop singer-songwriter

Until now, Kane's claim to fame was providing backing vocals on Jars of Clay's smash debut. This four-song EP represents her first solo effort.

This disc reeks of cuteness. Kane looks cute in the pictures on the cover with her country-girl overalls and her wild mane of hair. Her image might be best described as 90's flower-child. Her young voice sounds cute. It reminds me of a less mature version of Sarah Masen or even Victoria Williams. Her lyrics--particularly the catchy "Oz"--even tend to be cute.

It would be easy to dismiss Kane as just so much fluff. Her youth and lack of maturity (she is only 18) do lend a certain refreshing wholesomeness to the sound, however. Her warmth and bubbly personality remind me of a folky version of Rebecca St. James.

The disc opens with "After The Rain." This is a "silver lining" song, as the name implies. "When hope gets lost along the way, I hear a voice inside me say, You know everything will turn out right."

Next comes the previously mentioned "Oz." "Hey Mr. Wizard of Oz, can you give me courage...Kansas is so very far, so very far away." "Carnival Ride" follows with a theme centering around life's unpredictability. The disc closes with "Different Light." This is the only "un-cute" song on the disc. Here Kane is singing to someone who wants her to be something other than "the real me." "If you could feel this flame that burns inside, you'd know who I am."

Kane cites Lyle Lovett and especially Shawn Colvin as influences. While her lyrics do not display the wit or finesse of Lovett or the depth and emotion of Colvin, she has set her sights high. Kane and her co-writers Johnny Douglas and David Huff know how to construct a pop song. With some maturity Kane's lyric writing skills should improve, too. It is probably wise that Kane chose to only release four songs at first. Too much of this would be like overdosing on sugar.