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Stephanie Eden - Colors in Eden (Stephanie Eden 2001)

By Elizabeth Nitz

Stephanie Eden grew up around music in Pennsylvania and finally moved to Boulder, CO, to pursuer songwriting full-time. Her debut CD, Colors in Eden, reflects her youthful attitude and a maturity of songwriting beyond her years. She allows her refined voice to experiment unconstrained with various styles and tones as she plays her soulful acoustic folk music. Diminutive on stage, her live voice easily reaches everyone in the room, and her power can be felt on this album.

The first three songs are sweet acoustic folk. The third song, "Sacrifice," sounds different from the beginning, with more instrumentation including the violin by Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra first chair Kai-Lin Yong. The beautiful harmony also distinguishes this song in the determined lyrics, "I can't take one more rejection, I won't sacrifice my soul; I won't glance in your direction, or be under your control."

"Woman" begins acapella, showcasing Stephanie rich voice. A bit of percussion is added to give the female empowerment song a tribal effect as vocal tracks wind and unwind around each other, creating an ethereal effect.

Stephanie shows her political side in "Welcome to my Country" where she sings, "America the beautiful, land of the slave, home of the coward." But most of her lyrics reflect a deep sense of herself and are very introspective. "Mending Time" has hints of country in its heartbreaking content, simple guitar work and soaring melody. "Chautauqua" is a fun jaunt through the park, quite literally. She closes the record with "All Fall Down," a tribute to the victims of September 11th and a quiet nursery rhyme plea for peace.

For more information visit www.stepheden.com