Love this album. Must admit I haven't heard of A Fine Frenzy' but was game enough to try one of the Amazon recommendations when I bought Coco by Colbie Caillat. One Cell in the Sea is sweet but deep yet not too heavy or melodramatic. Whimsical, yet sincere. I love all the songs. Can listen to it again and again. Good balance between `I've been betrayed songs' to `NEXT!' Love the song Almost Lover - clever trick! Great listening!

Right...so we've all heard Almost Lover, right? I'm assuming you liked that song, if not loved it to death as I did, but i've got news for you...it's not her best. I'm totally blown away by this album. AFF is a lyrical genius. I'll admit her stuff can be wuite depressing, but it is so real and moving...that it may bring you to tears. Seriously. Think of You, Ashes and Wine, Last of Days and Near To You are sure to make your eyes swell. Then Lifesize, Minnow and the Trout, Rangers and You Picked Me are happier and mostly easy listening. I recommend this to the highest regard.

A Fine Frenzy is fronted by singer/songwriter Alison Sudol. The perfect words to describe her music is beautiful and hypnotic. The piano harmonies and her voice seem to fit together perfectly into emotional and peaceful sounding music. I love listening to her music if I've had a bad day at work or school, or if I just need something comforting to listen to. I'd recommend her to any music lover. Her music is absolutely amazing. I can't wait for her next album and I'll definitely be buying it. Favorites include You Picked Me, Rangers, Almost Lover, and Come On, Come Out.

... and just what I needed.

Growing increasingly tired of the new music that countless bands put out, I was dying to hear something new. And beautiful.

This is it. The most beautiful piano ballads I've ever heard... it's surprising that such beautiful piano ballads can exist after Coldplay already garnered rights over the simplest & most incredible piano chord progressions in existence.

The songs are stunning. You'll find something to identify with in the lyrics of any of these melodies. The intimacy of her voice makes the experience that much more 'close to home', after you already find yourself identifying with the heartfelt words that she imbues with such character with her exquisite voice & lips.

I was lucky enough to hear her live at a small venue in Seattle, from up close. She tears up at her own tunes & lyrics... if that is not heartfelt music, I don't know what is.

Give it a try... close your eyes... enjoy the beauties that life has to offer.

P.S. When's the last time you absolutely loved 10/14 songs on an album?

Alison Sudol, a.k.a A Fine Frenzy, has created a very nice debut CD in One Cell In The Sea. While Sudol's lyrics, vocals, and piano playing are the centerpieces of the CD, they do not account for the entire story. This CD packs a fair amount of variety although some of it is subtle.

Lyrically, you will find familiar topics while Sudol also takes the road less traveled in some cases. This is most clearly evident on "The Minnow & The Trout" where Sudol makes a plea for people to put their differences aside using a metaphor of animals based on evolution. This is where the "one cell in the sea" reference comes in. However, there are also the typical songs of love and loss such as "Almost Lover" and "Ashes and Wine". Overall, One Cell In The Sea has a balance of concrete and abstract lyrics.

Vocally, Sudol is very strong as a pure singer. Her voice is very full even in the higher register as displayed on "The Minnow & The Trout" and "Whisper". I also thought that she gave good variety in her delivery. "You Picked Me" and "Rangers" have a more rhythmic pace on the chorus whereas "Ashes and Wine" is more straight ahead. She also uses dynamics well conveying earnestness on "Almost Lover" while using a much lower volume on the invitatory "Come On, Come Out". Among all of these variations, though, none of the songs lose continuity.

Instrumentally, One Cell In The Sea offers a fair amount of variety. "Come On, Come Out" and "The Minnow & The Trout" center on Sudol's piano playing while "Whisper" and "Ashes and Wine" make great use of strings. The strings on "Ashes and Wine" especially help create the melancholy mood for the song. "Borrowed Time" is an interesting piece as it has much more of a folk sound to it with the acoustic guitar. You will even find some electronics and synthesizers that work to varying degrees. While it works well on "Think of You", it winds up just being annoying on "Last of Days".

Overall, One Cell In The Sea is a solid debut effort for A Fine Frenzy. There is a lot of variety, but it is not always obvious. Two songs may sound similar, but the lyrics may have very different messages (see "Come On, Come Out" and "The Minnow & The Trout"). Other times the subject of the song might be the same, but the style is different (see "Almost Lover" and "Ashes and Wine"). It will be interesting to see on future releases if Alison Sudol keeps this level of variety, or if she gravitates toward one of the specific styles that she uses here. I think that "Borrowed Time" shows that she has very strong potential in the folk genre, and I would like to hear more songs from her along these lines.

Download this: "Borrowed Time"