Andriana Lehr - ​Artifacts

Andriana Lehr

​Artifacts
self-released; 2016

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Originally from South Dakota Andriana Lehr in a classic coming of age story went to a city to pursue being a musician. She has spent the last decade in Minneapolis playing music and honing her craft. One of her recent accomplishments is her second full-length entitled Artifacts.

​Lehr who handles vocals, rhythm guitar and piano on the album got some musical accompaniment from a number of musicians. The album has some fantastic instrumentation including pedal steel, sax and a string quartet to name a few. As far as the production goes it’s professional and commercially viable. The mix, palette of sounds and production is top notch.

Her music veers towards pop but there is a mixture of folk, rock, country and a couple of genres as well. Lehr has a palatable voice that I enjoyed right off the bat while listening to “Outrun the Change” which is a warm, rolling opener that is catchy and single worthy.

I enjoyed the opener but really got on board to her sound when I heard “Ready To Be.” The orchestral strings combined with the pedal steel creating a lush atmosphere for her to sing over. Her vocals soar on this song creating a wide mix of emotions varying from melancholy to hopeful. 

“Ashes in the Fog” is another success. The song feels like a warm blanket on a cold evening. She wisely changes up the energy with the more upbeat “Catch 22” which was a personal favorite. The saxophone sounded great on “Bright Yellow Light” and “Putting ip a Fight” has a ballad type feel to it with piano leading the way. She seems to talk about her experiences like a bohemian poet on “Streets of Saint Paul.” She closes with the contemplative “The Expansion of Everything.” 

Artifacts is such a well put together album from top to bottom. The flow is seamless and you can tell how much effort and detail was put into the songs. Highly recommended.

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