Reviewed by Philippa McCracken

This debut from a Californian singer/songwriter/pianist offers six songs written and performed by a mother of three who recently entered the American Idol Songwriter Competition and made it into the top 20 from over 25,000 entries. Kelley has a beautifully soothing voice accentuated by some delightful piano melodies. Most of the songs on 'The River' sound pretty similar and could all be described as quiet, calming and reflective, with the exception of "Singing Holy", which is a slightly more upbeat worship song. 'The River' contains a gentle Christmas song, "Can You Close Your Eyes", which points the listener towards the reason for Christmas. Each song is a gentle musical nudge in the direction of God, but a bit more musical variety would have been welcome.

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