During my period of working from home in the last week there has been one blessing: even more time to immerse myself in new music. One artist who I found a particularly comfort to get me through my email hell was the lovely Sunny Ozell and her gorgeous new album Overnight Lows.
Musically Sunny combines an array of influences from jazz and blues to soul and Americana. This fusion results in a stylish and elegant sound which is impossible not to fall for. But the real shining light on this album is her honey-sweet soulful voice, which just sounds divine on every track.
Much of this album deals with emotional healing and processing the past. Driving Highways takes to the road, running from the sadness of what came before and searching for the positive in what remains. Its vintage sound oozes class, and I particularly love her recent live version recorded for Bob Harris’s ‘Under the Apple Tree’ Sessions.
Finding your own path is central to All That I Am, where she contemplates personal growth and the future. She’s doing things her own way, in her own time and that’s what matters. Comes and It Goes is soft, soulful songwriting showcasing Sunny’s breathtaking vocals. She also sounds equally comfortable singing a darker, swampier style of soul on the cathartic Hammer and Nail.
Those seeking out the more Americana aspect of her sound should listen to The Garden, a real highlight of the album. Many of the songs on here have a nice jazz influence too, like Saint Ursula and the stunning In the Sun. The defiant ‘Take You Down’ closes the album where she rises above what other people think of her to find her own emotional truths. It’s a stirring and inspiring send off.
So my advice for this quarantine is to take a walk out in the garden with Sunny Ozell and fall for the graceful sound of her Overnight Lows.
BUY: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/sunny-ozell/overnight-lows
Highway Queens 
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