Trying To Be Me

Laura Bryna

Equity Music Group

4 stars (out of 5)

Laura Bryan's debut CD, Trying To Be Me, is a fun, thought-provoking, and entertaining CD. Thoroughly modern country, all of the songs feature instruments like banjo, mandolin, and steel guitar clearly in the mix. She doesn't just make a nod to country music's tradition, she embraces them while putting them in a modern context.

Laura may not have written the songs on the album (she did co-write "Make a Wish"), but she delivers each song with so much truth and passion that you could easily believe that she had lived each one of the songs she sings.

There is a nice variety of songs on this CD. Well-balanced with up-tempo songs, slower ballads, fun, breezy songs, and darker, more serous numbers, you don't feel like you're listening to one big song. You get the feeling that Laura could handle any song put in front of her without any troubles.

All of the songs on the CD are entertaining and enjoyable, but there are a few stand out tracks that should be noted. "Same Dog" has a great funky, up-tempo beat to it and addresses what happens when a man comes around looking for another chance. Her response? She's not going to get bit by the same dog twice.

"Make a Wish" is a tender ballad focusing around a little girl who is visited by the Make a Wish Foundation people. The little girl is asked what her biggest wish is and she responds that it is for all her friends' wishes to come true. The song is all the more poignant when you discover it's based on a true story.

"640 Battlefield Drive" hit me in the gut. There is no shortage of songs about war these days, but this song is about the war fought at home by a mother waiting for her two sons to come home. She prays everyday for them and for world peace. She finally receives word that only one of her sons is coming home. It's a song that brings home the torment that parents must face when their children are in danger.

"She Can't Save Him" is a song that many woman can identify with. A woman has stood by her man for years. She's hidden his secret from the whole world for all this time. Now, she realizes that she can't do it any more. He's an alcoholic and she can't same him from himself. It takes all her strength, but she she has to walk away.

In short, this is a wonderful debut CD from a very talented singer. Laura Bryna is keeping the spirit and sounds of country music alive with style. Pick up this album today!