When Karen Lynne sings, she can evoke a palate of emotions.  Not since Alison Krauss or Kristyn Getty has there been a voice like Lynne's.   Possessing a sweet backwoods soprano that gushes with crystal clear Appalachian timbre, Lynne has a voice that can soothe like a healing balm and beguile the brawniest of hearts.  And adding patency to such a vocal charm is her delightful Australian accent.  Listening to Lynne is an unforgettable treat itself.  "Shine Your Light" is this Australian bluegrass chanteuse's tenth album.  However, "Shine Your Light" is also Lynne's first foray into Christian music.  It is also her first disc recorded in the US, in the studios of Tom T. and Dixie Hall.  And to add further heft, this album is also made under the auspices of producer Jerry Salley (writer for Steven Curtis Chapman and Reba McEntire).  Salley has brilliantly imbued these fourteen cuts with an understated bluegrass backing that enhances rather than obscures Lynne's singing, this will definitely bring rapt support from bluegrass, country and Southern gospel fans.  Thanks also to Tom T. Hall and Jerry Salley's capacious influences, some of the best bluegrass pickers are on display here with Randy Kohrs on resonator guitar, Tim Counch on fiddle and mandolin, Josh Williams on acoustic guitar, and Aaron McDaris and Martin Louis on banjos. 

Like all of Lynne's albums, "Shine Your Light" consists of both covers as well as originals. Lynne and Salley have scouted punctiliously to include some better known tunes as well as more obscure numbers.  This includes the hymn "In the Garden," Dolly Parton's autobiographical "Coat of Many Colors," country-gospel evergreens such as "Will There Be Any Stars" and "Little Mountain Church House" to more obscure covers such as Dale Ann Bradley's "Will I Be Good Enough," Claire Lynch's "Your Presence is My Favorite Gift" and Alison Krauss' "A Living Prayer."  Regardless of the song's origins, Lynne sings them with such authenticity it is as if they were written just for her.  Best among the covers is Lynne's take of Claire Lynch's "Your Presence is My Favorite Gift."  This is not the first time Lynne has ever tackled a Lynch number, but "Your Presence" is an exceptional choice.  Painting a serene morning when Lynne would sit in her front porch swing sipping the first taste of coffee, "Your Presence"  depicts Lynne thanking God for such times when she could feel the abiding presence of the Almighty.  Exquisitely written with picturesque lyrics and when Lynne sings "I'll just sit there in your presence for a while/Let your Spirit come and move all over me" you can hear the Holy Ghost rattling.

Continuing the theme of enjoying God's presence is the first of two Tom T. and Dixie Hall's compositions "Walk Slow."  Unfolding itself in a rural setting where the daisies blossom and the butterflies color the air, "Walk Slow" reminds us to take time to enjoy God and His creation.  The other Hall-penned song is the energetic bluegrass romp "He Loves to Hear Us Shout" which features some fiery fiddling and insistent banjo courtesy of Martin Louis.  Thanks to Tom T. Hall's help, Stella Parton (Dolly's younger sister) adds her Dolly-like vocals on "Coat of Many Colors."  Despite the age of the song, the way Lynne and Parton both trade lines describing step by step of all the things a mother would selflessly go through for her children still strikes one's heart's strings.  If you are looking for a newer mother's day song, look no further than Dale Ann Bradley's "Will I Be Good Enough."  One of the most thrilling moments is the joy and helplessness a mother feels when she holds her baby for the first time.  "Will I Be Good Enough" captures such a Kodak moment with heartfelt perspicuity without coming across as mawkish.

Lynne is more than just an interpreter of songs here she has included one of her co-writes "Christmas Star."  Though this is not a festive record and to have a Christmas song might be out of place, but "Christmas Star" shows she is capable of crafting a tune that is just as good as the songs she has covered.  Since 2005, this album was already conceived after many toils and tribulations.  One is thankful Lynne has recorded this Christian-themed album.  And here's hoping a follow-up Christian album is the works soon.  Lynne sounds like an angel when she sings secular country-bluegrass love songs, but when she sings about Jesus Christ, she brings down the angels down carrying us to the Lord.