Pause for a moment to consider the summer sunshine. What is its purpose? To raise our spirits? To warm our collective hearts? As non-scientific explanations, either would do for me and similarly I'd be happy to use either such reasons as the justification for Karen Zane's EP "Radio Flyer".
With seven songs all running at pretty much identical tempo and guided by a minimalist acoustic guitar in strumalong mode, it would have been easy to write this EP off as another work in progress that had fallen from the tree before it had the time to ripen. However, Ms Zane's vocals go sweet and distant and therefore manage to cast a spell that both charms the soul and warms the heart. It is also fair to say that many of the songs seem to have originated in times gone by with "Lover Boy", in particular, sounding like an appropriation from the Ellie Greenwich songbook. Similar sentimentality mixed with teen misfit appeal also pervades the title track which, obvious when you think about it, makes Ms Zane the ideal candidate for the attention of some modern day Shadow Morton.
Despite the subconscious and unfulfilled need that her songs have for a string arrangement, Karen Zane proves herself an endearing performer on this EP and, for that matter, one deserving of a bigger budget next time around.