The songs on Young Amelia fit neatly together, and while the songs feel like they could have been written decades ago, they are reminiscent of the better songs from the time. Hans York consistently creates beauty in the music and songs throughout this CD.

The CD starts off with "Tell Me Why," a quirky number that bounces between questions in the verses and a chorused answer. The pacing of "Snow" reminds me of a gentle winter snowfall, and there is a peacefulness that runs through the music and words. The beat of "Love is Here" helps to build the older folk-rock sound of the song, and the use of horns as an accent brings it out even more. The music drifts slightly into a more folk sound in "Young Amelia," which gives the poetry in the lyrics more room to be felt.

"Lifeline" returns to the older folk-rock style, with the tempo of the song adding to the emotions of the lyrics. The intro of "Inner Windows" opens up with some lovely finger-picking and the song slows down along with the more sparse feel to the music. The beat of "Invocation" shapes a very simple dance to the music. There is a thread of wistfulness that runs through "Letting Go," even if there is a slight dissonance within the song that is hard to explain.

There is a subtle strength in the words of "Ever Falling" as the song slowly unfolds with the music soft and graceful. I can't help but feeling that there should be a bit more of an edge to "The Garden," not that it doesn't work it just seems too calm for the words at times. It could be very easy to lose the lyrics in the music of "Brilliant Light," which shows how seamlessly the two fit together. The CD ends with another slightly quirky number, "Never Been in Love," and it sits as an interesting bookend to the first song on the disc.

If I had to chose one reason to recommend Young Amelia it would be for the beauty of the music, though the lyrics aren't far behind.

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