If you didn’t know anything about Mindy Gledhill (like I hadn’t) and put this disc in, you might think this is the new female voice at the top of the charts and all over the FM dial. With her easily relatable topics, sunny pop rock formula and flawless, intimate singing, artists like Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles immediately come to mind but with an even stronger, more universal presence.
Turns out Gledhill hasn’t had much mainstream success, but she holds down a very sizable fan base with millions of YouTube views and some commercials and TV spots to her resume. The one place she is a household name, surprisingly, is South Korea where she’s had numerous songs on their pop charts as high up as number one.
Gledhill starts Anchor out with “California” and “Crazy Love,” cheery pop songs that bring in pianos and horns and are so happy and inspirational that they make you want to emulate the cover photo. Following is “Anchor,” which is a more maudlin moment with just soft keys to aid Gledhill’s soft, wispy voice, and not so shockingly is her most known tune. This leads into one of the most joyous moments of the album with the indie pop of “Circus Girl” where Gledhill announces just how a certain someone is making her feel, and, of course, it’s nothing short of triumphant.
With no shortage of loves songs present, the songstress gets breathy on “All About Your Heart,” playful on “All The Pennies” and quirky on “I Do Adore.” Gledhill is not one to bury her songs in complicated metaphors, making her direct wordplay come off as an audible Hallmark card to your significant other, but in a sweet, cute way. Interestingly and unexpectedly, she ends the disc with “Mi Ancla,” a piano ballad in Spanish.
It’s refreshing to hear a singer/songwriter not grumbling about the shortcomings of their life. Gledhill’s positive, happy-go-lucky songs could cure anyone’s bad day. Since this album, she’s also released Pocketful Of Poetry, which is equally as charming and undeniably all smiles as well.
