Stefanie Santana's "I Admit I Am Glad" Album Review

Stefanie Santana's "I Admit I Am Glad" arrives at a time when precious acoustic music appears to be on life support. It's an album that's simple sincerity is so delicate that Santana herself appears to be delivering a sad and unintentional eulogy to the genre.
That being said-it's so good that none of that hardly matters. The opening track "All the Obstacles" is the star maker and it's no wonder the album kicks off with it. It's obvious that Santana is gifted. Her phrasing alone has tiny hints of Dylan-esque mastery. "All the Obstacles" is the high water mark but it's marked so high that the remaining eight tracks hover microscopically close. "Moonspeak" even hints at something beyond it with it's slightly over-driven keyboard accents and Santana's voice stretched into the exasperated range that squeak & exhaust some perfectly desperate emotions. It's a relief to hear a songwriter that appreciates the space between things both technically and poetically.
"I Admit I Am Glad" is a solid effort by a musician that appears to be bursting with potential and an amazing voice. One can only hope when Santana eventually picks up an electric guitar that her sincerity, humor and delicate touch rise slightly above the roar. I'm betting on brilliant.

-William Chaffin

Get "I Admit I Am Glad" here: https://stefaniemadethis.bandcamp.com