Home Grown, by singer/songwriter Michele Malone, builds on her previous acoustic, folk-rock, girl-with-a-guitar output. Feel-good lyrics combine with
Indigo Girls-style strumming to produce an album with several strong songs. Among the most interesting is "Tonic," which sounds so much like Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" that they should have probably been given a credit. "Avalon" is not treading any new ground musically but manages to be passionate and catchy. Also try "Strength for Two," which has the kind of touching writing that makes music in this genre worthwhile. ~ Stacia Proefrock