Lizzie Huffman – Pretty Old Soul

Jenn Cohen | December 1, 2011 | 0 Comments

by Sal Christ

The rich maturity of Lizzie Huffman’s voice makes it incredibly hard to believe that she’s a whole 22 years old. Signed to local record label Suburban Home Records, Huffman fits easily in the Folk and Country arenas with the gently husky vocals, soft acoustic guitars, and usage of harmonica and tambourine.

Released on Nov. 15, Huffman’s album, Pretty Old Soul, is a 12-track beauty – introspective, romantic at some points, and funny at others. Throughout, Huffman waxes poetic relationships that for one reason or another didn’t or couldn’t or wouldn’t work out. One would think she’s too young to know the depths of the brokenhearted, but then again love is perhaps most dramatic in its youth.

One of the better songs on the album is “Makers Mark,” the lyrical content of which is as bitter as the alcohol it’s named after. Other highlights include “Too Beautiful,” which seems to have been written for someone with whom the distance with haunts Huffman on a daily basis and “Heavy Hearts,” which similarly captures the despair of longing sometimes shared between two people.

While every track on Pretty Old Soul stands wonderfully on its own, that Huffman never branches out vocally is a little disappointing. Considering the Patty Griffin-like rasp of her voice, one keeps looking for an angry song or something that ventures more towards Blues. Perhaps she had heavier songs that just didn’t fit for this album, but one knows that Huffman has a wider range in her and if this album is about relationships a more provoked track wouldn’t have been out of place. Still, Huffman is just finding her stride and Pretty Old Soul is a gorgeous effort. For her fans all over the place, the full-length album has been a long time coming and delivers as expected. With any luck at all, Huffman will continue to grow as a musician and her next effort will be even better.