Listening to Postulate I for the first time, I was immediately struck by the emotion, skill, and power of Lauren Kathryn Newman's vocal and instrumental delivery. Throughout the album, Newman offers up material that conjures up images of some of my favorite female artists: Shannon Wright, PJ Harvey, and Mary Timony. Thinking that LKN was simply the namesake of a Newman-fronted band, surprise and awe overcame me when reading that Newman was the band.

Every instrument is played skillfully; Newman isn't afraid to release a bit of riffage on her guitar and when it comes to her drumming, well let's just say it's got a bit of power behind it. As pointed out in the liner notes which reveal Newman to be a bit of an equipment dork, she plays with her sticks (Vater 5b hand selected hickory sticks) butts out. This power does not come at the cost of precision and just as Newman lays out intricate guitar lines, well-timed drum fills are also present.

Throughout Postulate I's thirteen tracks, Newman exudes the aura of a strong woman, confident, comfortable, and living by her own rules. Her vocal delivery is sure and even as she puts herself out there in the songs, there is no doubt that she is in control. Only on "I Can Think of a Better Question" does this appear to change. Throughout the track Newman captures the feeling of a woman run emotionally over the edge; opening with lightly spoken words and then closing with cacophonic layers of screaming circling in wait to rip apart any listener that shows a sign of weakness.

To review, Postulate I may be summed up by a very simple equation: emotion + skill + power = LKN. I don't know about you, but in my musical math book that is equivalent to the equation for amazingly awesome album.