Labour of Love reviews:

Karen's own songs, and there are three on this album, are well up to standard. She has avoided a mistake often made by first timers who try to do everything on their first effort for fear it might be their only chance, and the result is that it usually is. ... Worth mentioning in the song list is a lilting version of Henry Lawson's 'Water Lilly'.

name not supplied, Country Update

This award winning singer/songwriter has a beautifully sensitive vocal style that provides a perfect vehicle for a great selection of songs including some excellent self penned efforts like 'He Says' and 'Stronger Than I Knew'. ... Karen has come up with a real 'listening' album that will prick up lots of ears.

name not supplied, Country Music Australia

From start to finish the wonderful musical content of this album heldmy full attention and the icing on the cake is Karen's lovely natural unforced singing voice. ... Karen Lynne is half a world away from the British country music scene but I forecast a very warm welcome awaits her visit this July/August.

Ian McQueen, Country Music News & Routes

The 16-track disc is a lovely selection of carefully chosen covers and three very thought-provoking originals. The powerful He Says (co-written by Karen and Heather Field) deals with the emotional issue of spousal abuse. Karen was inspired to write it after her research revealed that 95% of women physicaly abused in a relationship never leave. I was very impressed with her other originals on the album - Stronger Than I Knew and Grandma Used To Say (both songs written with Heather Field and James GIllard). "Impressed" probably sums up my thoughts on the whole album - Karen's songwriting, song selection, vocals, along with the musicianship of the excellent studio personnel - were all first class.

Anna Rose, Capital News

Australian Singer-songwriter Karen Lynne is blessed with a pure soprano voice and impressive writing chops. She evokes Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss and Solly Parton, while carving out her own turf on this auspicious debut from a promising new act to watch. While this collection relies heavily on covers, competent vocals and interesting arrangements make up for over-zealous biting of vintage material. ... The musical arrangements are top notch, with solid country instrumentation that utilises fiddles, mandolin, banjo, dobro and pedal-steel among electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards ..

Alan Cackett, Country Music International (Britain)

Six Days In December Reviews

The opening track, the Rush, is pure Country and serves notice that here are two voices that were made to sing together - it's a beautiful song that I found hard to go past, but after continual replays I thought I better get onto the rest of Six Days In December. Readers who are aware of Pat and Karen may expect something a little on the folkier side of the line but overall this is Country at its best - sweet, bittersweet, simple, heartfelt, gentle, pure - and it wraps around you with warmth and sincerity.
The pair join on a number of tracks like the great reworking of Pat's The Old Time Country Show, Everyone Was Right, and The House At 21 - showcasing that almost perfect blend that The Rush promised first up.
The rest of the album is made up of solo tracks by both with Song Of The Quilt, The House At 21, The Certainty Of Miracles and The Days When We Were Young showcasing Karen's voice the best, while Pat's best cuts are Paradise Creek, Freedom In His Eyes and the honky-tonkinest you'll ever hear him on the song he originally wrong for The Dead Ringer Band, The Honky Tonk From Hell - a wonder in itself: good one Pat!
But there's not a dud track on this album and the production by Rod Coe is superb, with some wonderful playing from the musicians, especially Tom Grasso on pedal steel, which sits perfects whenever it's used.
Six Days In December is one of the best albums I've heard all year and I hope it gets the attention it deserves - but the certainty of miracles in Country Music isn't guaranteed, is it?

Open Road

Its unlikely one would experience as many facets of love and the imagery created in these 11 songs. Apart from the uptempo 'Honky Tonk From Hell', this is an album of ballads with precisely balanced harmonies from two passionate performers. Also, the well-chosen musicians deliver the mellow backing required for these sensitive songs. Pat has been performing his brand of Australian music for a long while, and his combination with Karen Lynne flies a lofty flag for independent artists.

The Years Top 50
Country Music Annual

Other Album Reviews

The Winners 7 (Various Artists, EMI)
The latest in the series of Winners couldn't but help live up to its predecessors - after all it is meant to be the best of the best. ... this is the cream of 1998's Australian Country Music according to the Golden Guitar judges and a fine collection it is. If you remember the finalists they're all here. ... High flyers like Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole, Adam Brand, Craeme Connors, Sherrie Austin, Troy Cassar-Daley, Slim Dusty, Colin Buchanan, etc, are all here, but the best part is that there are some lesser lights like Karen Lynne, Michael Fix, Kevin Bennett, Carol Young, Kedrom Taylor, Vanya, The Crosby Sisters, Jim O'Brien and Brian Letton, who all get just that little bit more exposure and show that we do have some depth to our Country Music.

Jon C Farkas, Capital News

Open Road II (Various Artists, ABC)
... For the consumer, this album gives us a taste of an array of new talent that have not got the backing of a multimational record company. ... There are 39 tracks in all and they feature artists who we have been itching to hear like Leesa Gentz, Karen Lynne (Frencham), Amanda GIlmour, Andrew Clermont, Tamika Kellehear, Fiddle Me Please, The Crosby Sisters, Keith Armitage and the amazing Feral Swing Katz.

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