When popular music seems to be in a slump, it is always exciting to hear fresh talent. Mindy Smith's debut album, One Moment More showcases her unique style that marks her as an up-and-coming artist. Smith's music is mellow, using simple melodies and a band. What catches the listener however, is her remarkable voice. Her voice is velvety; similar to Sheryl Crow's, but sweeter, meshing well with her spiritual lyrics. The album opens with "Come to Jesus," which may be the best song on the album. Her voice and bluesy melody catch a first-time listener immediately. The track peaks with a powerful chorus which contrasts with the slower sections and moves the listener to not only sing along, but repeat it a few times as well.

The next track, "Falling" brings out a country quality, showing how she refuses to be branded with just one style. "Hard to Know" especially reveals her diversity by bringing an unexpected rock rhythm after a string of calm tracks that build on the first two. These songs are all good, but lose some of their edge when it becomes a little difficult to distinguish one song from the next in the middle of the album. For instance, the opening chords in "Falling" and "Raggedy Ann" sound almost exactly alike, with very minor differences. But for a first album, these are minor flaws.

Though her album came out on Jan. 27, her debut came sooner than expected. Before One Moment More she had already performed on Late Night with Jay Leno and Lifetime's Women Rock special, had a music video on Country Music Television and recorded "Jolene" for Dolly Parton's tribute album, Just Because I'm a Woman, which includes fellow remarkable talents such as Norah Jones, Melissa Etheridge and Alison Krauss.

Smith's big debut already has Rolling Stone and Billboard raving; all the more a feat considering she didn't compromise any of her style throughout the process of recording her album. Though she has lived in Nashville since 1998, Smith is not categorized as a country singer, but rather a singer/songwriter who just plays how she feels.
With song titles like "Come to Jesus" and "Angel Doves" and with similarly themed lyrics throughout other tracks, it would be easy to pass it over if you have not been into spiritual music in the past, but she definitely has more going for her than the stereotypical Christian musician.

Lyrics in songs such as "Fighting for It All," "Raggedy Ann," "Train Song" and a number of others all deal with subjects everyone can relate to. Her greatest strength that makes her voice so beautiful is how the whole package, music and lyrics, is so emotional. Whether or not you share her faith, there is still plenty of room to appreciate her talent as a musician capable of making such captivating music. The quality of her album is refreshing and gives hope to artists who do not want to change their sound just to sell more records. Smith looks like she's on her way to a bright future with a jump-started career and talent that is not likely to fade any time soon.