Kate Voegele has been making a name for herself over the past 2 years. Not only did she record her first album, Don’t Look Away, but she attended classes, made a 4.0 gpa, and was offered a role on One Tree Hill. But all of these amazing opportunities did not lead her away from her first love, music. Now with the release of her sophomore album, A Fine Mess, Kate Voegele has made her fan base grow with each day that passes.

The album opens with the feel good beats of “Inside Out”. It has the reminiscence of Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten. From the sound of the lyrics, in this song she is trying to tell a guy that she’s falling for him. This song is a great way to start the album. The next song “99 Times” is one of my favorites. It starts out with a heavier guitar rift and it sounds a little vindictive. By her tone of voice, and how the instruments are used, you can tell this is a song about a guy that has done wrong to her. This is a song I can see a group of girls jamming out to while plotting against the next guy who has hurt them.

“Who Are You Without Me” has a more light hearted feel to it with violins added to the mix. The song is about a guy who puts her up on a pedestal and needs her more than she needs him, so she exits the situation for her own personal happiness. Going in to “Angel” the first thing you hear is a little drum solo. In this song, you’ll hear an eclectic mixture of the piano, drums, tambourine and guitar. It’s a nice song just to relax to. “Sweet Silver Lining” also has a piano to accompany Kate’s beautiful and serene voice. When I first heard this song, it hit close to home. It talks about her going through a tough situation, but giving her all to stay strong and trying to stay positive. My favorite line in the song is “I may be weak but I’m never defeated/ And I’ll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining.” This has to be my favorite song on her album hands down.

The next song on the album is called “Playing With My Heart”. This is the type of song you can jam out in your room by yourself to. It talks about a guy playing games and her being able to play them better. I haven’t heard a good “girl power” song like this in a while, and I think being placed in the middle of the track list is perfect. “Manhattan From The Sky” starts out with a nice piano and drum mix. This is one of the few love songs on the album. She uses the city of New York as a metaphor to describe the guy she likes but he’s scared to get into a relationship. “Talking Smooth” has a little bit of a country vibe to it. This song describes a guy who is trying to get with a girl, but she sees right through his act, and can see that he is just “talking smooth”.  The final song on Kate’s album is called “Lift Me Up”. The beautiful sound of a piano introduces the song, with Kate’s voice soon to follow. The soft sounds of the piano, guitar, violin, and light drums make this song a little bit more relaxing. This song was definitely designed to tell a little bit about Kate’s personal life. It says “And I’ve been given hope/ That there’s a light on up the hall/ And that a day will come when the fight is won/ And I think that day has just begun.” If your someone who is going through a lot in life, and you need something to push you through, this song is definitely inspiring and is a great way to end the album.

I had heard of Kate Voegele before, but I had never really listened to her music. This record definitely has proven to me that she is a strong and independent girl who just loves to sing. She has definitely become one of my new favorite artists and I look up to her for all she has accomplished. She has a refreshing sound, and I can tell that she will be around for awhile.