Karen’s sound is a fusion of jazz, folk, retro R&B and soft rock. Think Diana Ross meets Norah Jones. Her road has wound through personal and professional peaks and troughs, picking up song writing accolades along the way such as finalist in the 2007 Australian Song Writing Competition Award, and in the ABC Song Writing Competition for writers over 30. But it was her dream to record a stunning debut album of her original songs that has been the driver for this independent Australian singer songwriter.

Engaging the top jazz talent the NSW North Coast has to offer, including Steve Russell on keyboards, Jim Kelly on Guitar, Greg Lyon on Bass, Dave Sanders on Drums and with Martha Baartz’s astonishing saxophone, Karen’s debut album, Carry Me Away is both a culmination of her personal musical journey and an indication that Australian jazz is still very much alive and well.

As Karen’s silky yet assertive voice has matured, it has become nicely frayed at the edges—picked up those coffee stains and cigarette burns you need to be a convincing jazz diva. Her musical journey has followed the tried and true path from musicals to pop to blues and jazz and her expressions of her own journey are where it’s all at for her now. Karen’s melodies will resonate with anyone of any age who has lived a little, but there is something of the ingénue that remains in the lyrics, a kind of sweet-natured refusal to accept the blues premise that things—and people—can always get worse. Hovering around the edges of the lush instrumentals and honeyed vocals of this debut is an endearing refusal to grow up, an adolescent fighting spirit that speaks to love and loss, the birds and bees—life and all that jazz.

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