Seattle Sound Magazine – June 2008

Kristen Ward covers familiar alt-country territory in Drive Away: the loss of love and faith, running from the law and nostalgia for the past. But what makes this album different is Ward’s visual approach to her subject material. Rather than singing about broad themes, Ward focuses her lyrics on small objects and scenes that connote her meaning: the result is visceral rather than conceptual. Her warm voice is low but not gravelly and the well produced album feels very clean with its strong percussion-guitar base, along with well-placed harmonica and pedal-steel accents from the inimitable Kevin Suggs. But overall, the strength of this album lies in Ward’s haunting ability to show and not tell.

Rachel Dovey, Sound Seattle Magazine, June 2008

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