Jackie Carlyle
Into The Light
(self-released)
www.jackiecarlyle.com

Singer-songwriter Jackie Carlyle shows old-school pop similar to Helen Reddy with modern country mists reflective of Erin O'Donnell. Her release Into The Light is an inspirational album which she says, "was a CD I wrote when my brother passed away. I actually wrote it to help the Nathan Adelson Hospice and donated all of the proceeds to it and to the Cancer Society in Las Vegas," Jackie Carlyle's music works wonders with delicate hues of country-pop and ambient synths. The album is MOR pop (middle of the road) peppered with acoustic country-folk and torchlight vocals. It's an album for the heart that needs to heal and renew faith, easing away the fear of being knocked down every time you want to get back up.

Many of the tracks have a prayer-like ambience including "Open Up To Me" and the title track "Into The Light." The inspirational versing of "Into The Light" rings out, "When the Angels reach for your soul/ I'll hold on 'till you let go/ I will be watching 'till you're out of sight/ And you've gone home into the light." Carlyle has succor-touched vocals which move alongside the gentle rolling country flakes like in "Breathe In/Breathe Out" and "My Daddy's Spirit" falling like beams of light on the melodic passages creating paths of consonance which coat the slender shingled tiers in warmth. The melodic mixtures have overtones of coffeehouse-folk and modern pop comparable to Colbie Caillat, like in the soothing sensations of the country ballad "Golden Gift of Light." The comforting piano ballad "Soul In The Breeze" produces a complementing base for Carlyle's vocal register which exudes a Crystal Gayle soothing pitch.

Jackie Carlyle's album Into The Light lets you get a good night's sleep by washing away whatever ails you and keeps you awake with worries about what tomorrow may take away from you next. The album transports you to the other side of strife and lets you have a sense of safety. The songs have a country-inspirational vibe that flows with the ease of Colbie Caillat and sustains a perpetual lift that adheres to nothing else but an inner sense of well-being.

-Susan Frances