So when she gave me Common Rotation’s latest CD, “is a lie,” to review, I’ll admit to being a bit surprised. Since I’d never heard them before, I wasn’t sure I was qualified to write a review, but I was assured that BECAUSE I hadn’t heard them before, it made me very qualified.

Anyway, enough back story, how is the CD itself? Well, let me get one thing said right off the bat. I liked the sound of this group. It really reminded me of a male Indigo Girls, which isn’t a bad thing. Great acoustic guitars, wonderfully soothing harmonies, and deep lyrics all come together for a…um…what could I call it. Ah, a “sonic cleansing”, yes. Why do I call it that? Because this music, for whatever the individual songs may be about, has a very cleansing sound that feels like it cleans out your ears and your soul. This, my friends, is a good thing.

“Is a lie” is comprised of fifteen tracks, each telling its own mini story of sorts. Due to the soothing, folk-rock sound of the album, it’s a very relaxing journey. I will admit, however, to not fully understanding all the words, so it took several sessions to make out the lyrics. This isn’t really a criticism, just something I noticed. Once the words clicked, however, the songs and titles made more sense.

To me, however, the lyrics are secondary to the overall sound, and here this album excels. When I listen to this album, I feel like relaxing, like listening to someone as they tell a really good story. I like it when music can take me somewhere, and the music on “is a lie” does that with every song. That, to me, says it’s a good album.

So, in conclusion, if you like relaxing folk-rock, you’ll like “is a lie,” it’s that simple. These guys have a great sound and balance, deep lyrics (once you can make them out) and good storytelling capabilities. I’d recommend “is a lie” to anyone who’s a fan of maybe the Indigo Girls, Jewel or early Toad the Wet Sprocket, to be honest, because their styles are very similar. Overall, this is a very good album, and it’s good enough to make me want to track their other albums. That’s as good a recommendation as I can think of. Head over to their official website for more information on the band and their music, and happy listening.