(05 March 2000) The San Francisco Bay Area's Penny Framstad is an emerging singer songwriter of rare depth and sensitivity.She fronts a five-piece band and performs on guitar and piano.A self-titled ten-track digital audio music CD is currently available exclusively through hermp3.com website. Penny recently had several songs from the album in the mp3 Rock & Pop Radio charts. A west coast tour is plannedto launch her indie release during the spring and summer of 2000.Framstad's songs have appeared on NBC's Providence andCBS' Jag.

Her album includes tracks co-written with Grammy Award Winning song writers Tom Whitlock and Jeffrey Cohen. "Even Angels Fall,"co-written and sung by Jessica Riddle, appears in the Touchstone film 10 Things I Hate About You and is on the HollywoodReords Soundtrack (order it from amazon.comhere). Penny's own version, with it's lush production, accessibility and lovely instrumental arrangement opens her self-titled album. The album also includes co-writes with Kim Bullard, Steve Seskin, and Geoff Perlman (lead guitar, vocals). Craig Owen (bass), Dan Foltz (drums) and various other supporting musicians provide instrumentals and backing vocals on her album. The track "Anymore," a soft alternative rock with exceptional and building arrangements and percussive elements, was written by Penny alone.

With only light piano as accompaniment, Penny sings "People With My Last Name" and "Back For Me" both stunningly sensitive ballads and wonderful illustrations of the range and depth ofPenny's vocal talent. The song "Making Deals With God" is a soft rock track that is sensually sung and supported with lush instrumentation. "The Best Day Of Your Life" and "If I Can Have It All" build from ballad into and richly arranged rock songs with soaring vocals anda notable electric guitar solos, perfect for inclusion in any one of the most popular television series' shows (Roswellfor example). "Shadow Of The Sun" with lots of guitar and vocaleffects adds to the texture of the album's harder rock tracks.It actually works quite well on its own and in contrast to thealbum's softer tunes.

The uptempo highly accessible almost-pop "Tomorrow's Happening Today" features wonderful vocal harmonies, lush keyboard backing and a chorus with a wonderful hook certain to please a broadrange of audiences. The album closes with "Like A Moth To AFlame" performed much in the style of "People With My LastName." If one were to open the album and the other to close it,they would be like bookends.

The instrumental arrangements of Penny Framstad's self-titledalbum add depth and texture to the expressive vocal elements andcontribute to the overall sound. This debut is a lovely albumand worthy of further exploration by adult alternative rockenthusiasts. Eight of the album's ten songs can be heard online at hermp3.com website. We're sure you will agree that it is a nice listen!