Review by Matt Mac Haffie

Sometimes a girl singing songs to her guitar can be remarkably effective. Zan Strumfeld claims to be Someone New to the singer-songwriter game. Yet her skill at the craft and mature point-of-view lyrics belie her just over twenty-two years on the planet.

Someone New opens with “Keep on Lovin’ You,” which has become a favorite number in her live sets. “Friday’s Fire” is the best of a very good group of songs, serving as proof of her prowess on guitar. Zan squeezes sparks out of her strings and burns to her very soul with a cracked-note vocal, brooding over a failed relationship and snow. “Carry On” is Zan’s upbeat juggernaut of a song, tempered with guarded optimism, and made genius by the simple yet clever use of the multiple meanings of the word “down.”

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