EP Review: Kayla Woodson (Self-Titled)

Growing up in the small town of Waggaman, Louisiana, Kayla Woodson was a little girl with a big voice and a love for the stage. At age seven, she started playing the Texas/Louisiana Opry circuit and, by age ten, she was fronting her own band and performing at parades, parties, and festivals across the region. In 2004, Kayla took her talents to Italy to train at the Bocelli School of Music then later that year to Romania to represent the United States at the Golden Star Children’s International Talent Fest, where she took 2nd place in the world. By age fifteen, Kayla was writing her own music and released an album, I’m Movin’ On, which included four of her original songs. In 2012, Kayla moved to Nashville where she has since spent time honing her craft. In April of this year, she released her self-titled EP, a five song collection that includes all out rockers and heartfelt ballads, each of which she had a hand in writing.

The project kicks off with the intense “Fan For The Flame”, a done-me-wrong tale of a woman who isn’t taking it anymore (on which Woodson perfectly channels Carrie Underwood). That’s followed by the emotional ballads “Before It’s Too Late” and “Last” on which Woodson’s incredibly powerful, and emotive, vocals shine. She switches gears on the country rocker “Tearin’ Up This Town (Party All Night)” before closing out with the sweetly romantic, mandolin accented, sing-a-long “Crushin’.” Woodson’s EP displays her versatility and remarkable vocal talent that showcase an artist coming into her own…and one that we should pay attention to.

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