Now Playing: Erika Olson’s ‘This is How I Pray’

Erika Olson is readying for the release of her debut disc. It's titled Thi is How I Pray and has a drop date of May 5th, 2023. But first, for those of you not yet familiar with the artist in question, a bit o’ background.

Erika Olson

According to Olson’s official website, she says she is “a momma bear, indie-folk singer-songwriter, [and] recovering people-pleaser.” The American ex-pat was born in New Mexico and is currently based in London, England. Olson recalls:

“London beckoned me with promises of mystery and adventure and then sent me out to explore her surrounding countryside. Now I ramble amongst the sheep, plumb the creative depths of my psyche, and marvel at nature’s glory through the eyes of my children from a small country village in East Sussex.”

Signature Sound

Olson’s signature sound is a mix of multiple music genres including Americana, blues, folk, and a hint of pop. Online, Olson offered additional insights into her music. She said:

“My songs bear witness – to the glorious and devastating moments that can only be seen when we slow down. I write songs about life as I have lived it, seen it, heard it, and felt it. I sing the songs of mothers, fathers, sisters, sons, lovers, rebels, light chasers, dreamers, fighters, survivors, and truth-tellers. My music is here to advocate for your life and for the life of this world we live in.”

She also spoke of her musical past: “I studied classical flute and fell in love with musicals early on. I had a crazy eclectic taste in music ranging from singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchel, John Prine, and Crosby Still Nash & Young, to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nirvana, The Fugees, Tribe Called Quest, Alanis Morisette, and the Beastie Boys. Later on, I would fall in love with country and bluegrass - Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin, Jenny Lewis, and the list goes on and on it goes.”

Of course, her present has also influenced her new album. She confirmed this saying: “Being in the UK has absolutely influenced my music. My songs are born with just a girl and her guitar, and I could have easily chosen a traditional folk and Americana vibe. But living in England and being exposed to all the genre-bending, eclectic style of music that goes on here - I had to reflect that musically on my album. I wanted folk music merged with a London sensibility.”

This is How I Pray

This is How I Pray is a 10-track album of new, original material. Olson leads the way on acoustic guitar and vocals. She is occasionally backed by producer Jonny Wright on electric guitar, piano, bass, synth, acoustic guitar, percussion, and vocals; Chris Hillman on pedal steel guitar; and Dan Raza on acoustic guitar and vocals.

Track by Track

The lead-in is “Mom Life.” This one was co-written with Wright. It’s an engaging album opener that almost immediately draws in the audience with a message sure to catch a parent’s ear. This one is soundtrack ready as Olson turns her parental duties into something both universal and yet uniquely her own.

“Hungry Little Bird” is a song that sounds somewhat autobiographical. It is both pretty and poppy. The track actually somehow sounds as if this is one of her favorite songs to play.

The next number is the ambitious, meaningful title track “This is How I Pray.” Olson takes a slightly different musical direction in this song-story. Sometimes, the most memorable cathedral can be nature itself. Olson acknowledged this by saying that the outdoors can be “magical and magnificent,” adding “the more I thought about it the more I realized, the spirituality of my childhood and my life couldn’t be contained within the brick and mortar walls of a church.”

“Benefit of the Doubt” is another biographical bit. This early release is college radio ready. Is it making a political statement about racism or simply tunefully telling it as she recalls it? It doesn’t matter really. There’s something pretty in this song that reflects on something ugly.

“Wreckage” explores the concept of a failed relationship but welcomingly puts a positive spin on it complete with an upbeat anthemic focus on perseverance. It sounds both cathartic and freeing.

“I Don’t Feel Like Fighting” follows here. This single is already popular with fans and critics alike. It refreshingly recognizes that it takes two to tango and sometimes we must pick our battles.

“Albuquerque Nights'' takes “Critic’s Choice.” It’s unabashedly smoky and sounds so sincere. What’s more, you can slow dance to it. You remember slow dances, don’t you, dear readers?

“As I Am” is another reflective autobiographical audio offering. It is a nigh-melancholic, bittersweet duet. This soundtrack-ready song sounds so familiar yet it is, like all the other cuts, an original. It is a beautifully understated musical moment focused on love and life in a relationship.

“Momma Ain’t Got No Time” is another early fave of the critics. Again, Olson’s straightforward approach to tunefully telling tales of her own life works well with empathic listeners.

The closing cut, “Little Shoulders”, is dedicated to her daughter. It serves as yet one more example of not only what Olson can do but also where she is at in the world now and what’s important to her in life.

Overall…

Overall, this is an impressive initial introduction to Olson’s tuneful talents. The songs generally center on little slices of life that demonstrate her own personal moments of both happiness and human vulnerability while simultaneously touching on universal themes of acceptance, heartbreak, love, motherhood, and racism. She bares her soul while touching that of others on an album that is both current and classic. So, check out Erika Olson’s This is How I Pray because she definitely deserves the “Benefit of the Doubt.”

(Images courtesy of Broken Jukebox Media and Wales Aiste Saulyte Photography)