Some musical works play like poetry, and Half Gringa’s latest release “Force to Recon” is certainly one of them. With gems of lines like “I don’t know your feelings by their first name” or “We didn’t need to drive 900 miles to understand where the other was coming from”, Isabel Olive creates an immediately recognizable and refreshing songwriting voice. Her arrangements and melodic sense complete the picture, with influences ranging from Latin folk to indie rock and everything in between. This release is something to come back to again and again, like a favorite book that you want to highlight all over and doodle notes in. In other words, one that says the things you may have wanted to say, but in a way you never thought to say them.
By: Brad Miller