Have you ever had a day when you wonder, ‘what’s it all about?’ ‘Why are we here?’ ‘Where are we all headed?’ One of those days in quite contemplation? Well, this is a soundtrack to one of those days.

A girl who grew up in a small mid-western town with a darker sound not really associated with that part of the world, Jen Gloeckner, one of the busiest artists on the folk/jazz network really delivers with this debut album.

A haunting start greets you with the first two tracks Miles Away and Remember When, but they pale into insignificance as soon as song three, Hazy Sky with full band behind, kicks in with Tanita Tikaram/David Gray (female version) style vocals. This song grabs you straight away to a point where you can’t help but softly nod your head to the infectious riff that runs throughout, and by track four, Seven Maids, you’re completely engaged within Jen Gloeckner’s world.

Nothing Personal, track five, is where the album takes another distinctive turn, but this time you’re led down a path of trippy wonder, backed up by similar style with the next song, Only 1.

The sounds of Ben Harper style licks are effectively used in Spinning Heads, track seven on the LP, and is, by far, one of the strongest songs on what is already, by this point in listening to the record, a rock solid album. Smoky jazz follows with Glimpse, a nice enough tune, but sounding a little out of place with what preceded it, and subsequently, what comes after – heavily weighted with jazz by a little too much sax, this is weakest song on the album.

Number 9 on the record is Glue, an apt name when it comes to the harmonies, cello sound and predictable progression; they stick in your mind, which also can be said about track 10, Clear the Sand, a song that is reminiscent of a Gwen Stefani/Missy Elliot merge. This is the best song on the record, which could have massive popular appeal around the world. In fact, this song and the next three, Prodigal Son, Swarm and Mountains really stick out from the rest of the album as concept songs: daring, different and clever.

We come back to Jen Gloeckner’s distinctive sound with Otherside, song 14 on the album, where sax is used again, but with just the right amount and feel this time.

Wasting Time is the last song on the CD and is a positive end to an eclectic mix of great songs, which could take this artist into very diverse directions, depending on the diversity of Jen Gloecner’s personality. It is going to be interesting to see where this very talented artist will end up.