There’s a quiet confidence to Water Stones that’s felt almost immediately. It doesn’t announce itself or lean on spectacle. Instead, it settles in slowly, the way certain records do when they’re built on feeling rather than intention. For Lynn Patrick, this album feels less like a statement and more like a reflection—one shaped by time, patience, and an instinctive understanding of space.
The record is rooted in acoustic guitar, but calling it guitar-led undersells what’s happening here. Mandolin, violin, upright bass, and gentle percussion move around the melodies with a natural ease, never crowding the frame. Everything feels considered, but never careful. There’s a looseness to the arrangements, a sense that the music is allowed to breathe rather than be guided.
Patrick’s playing is expressive without being showy. Notes are chosen for how they feel, not how they impress. Melodies arrive unforced, often lingering just long enough before moving on. Tracks like “Surfing Lu Lu” and “Breezy Sassafras” carry a quiet sense of lift, while others—“Unknown Changes” or the title track—slow things down, creating space for reflection rather than resolution.
The idea behind Water Stones is simple, but deeply effective. Like water shaping stone, the album reflects the way experience gradually alters us. There’s no urgency here, no dramatic peaks or forced emotion. Instead, the record moves gently, trusting that time and repetition will do the work. It’s music that doesn’t demand attention so much as reward it.
What stands out most is how natural the album feels. Nothing sounds overworked. Nothing feels placed for effect. There’s an organic flow from track to track, as though the songs are part of the same landscape rather than separate ideas stitched together. That sense of continuity makes the album easy to sit with, whether you’re listening closely or letting it play in the background of a quiet afternoon.
Nature has clearly left its mark on this record. You can hear it in the openness of the arrangements and the way the music seems to move rather than progress. It evokes wide spaces and slow moments—the kind where nothing is happening, yet everything feels present. Rather than telling a story outright, Water Stones allows listeners to bring their own into the frame.
There’s also a warmth running through the album that’s difficult to fake. It’s not nostalgia, and it’s not sentimentality. It’s the warmth that comes from an artist who knows when to step back and let the music speak for itself. Patrick’s restraint is one of her greatest strengths here, allowing emotion to surface naturally instead of being pushed forward.
Across its twelve tracks, Water Stones maintains a steady emotional clarity. It never overwhelms, but it also never fades into the background. It’s the kind of record that grows more familiar with time, revealing small details on repeat listens—an unexpected harmony, a subtle rhythmic shift, a melody that lingers longer than expected.
In a landscape crowded with urgency and noise, Water Stones feels refreshingly unhurried. It’s an album built on trust—trust in melody, in silence, and in the listener. Not something to rush through, but something to return to, again and again, when quiet feels like the right place to be.
About Lynn Patrick
Lynn Patrick is an award-winning guitarist and composer whose work is deeply shaped by nature, movement, and emotional intuition. Raised in Florida in a musically active family, Lynn grew up surrounded by song and instruments, while early experiences spent in and around the ocean—swimming, sailing, snorkeling, and exploring—helped form the foundation of her creative voice. After earning a Humanities degree from Florida State University, she moved to Boston to pursue music before settling in Colorado, where the Rocky Mountains became a lasting source of inspiration. She has lived west of Boulder for more than two decades, drawing creative energy from the surrounding landscape.
Lynn has independently produced and released six instrumental albums and one vocal album, earning recognition for her expressive, melodic guitar style. Her work has been honoured with two Independent Music Awards for Best New Age Song, along with finalist placements in the USA Songwriting Competition and multiple acoustic music awards.
Her music has appeared widely across film, television, and broadcast media, including a three-year feature on The Young and the Restless, documentary soundtracks, and outlets such as NPR, SiriusXM, and The Weather Channel. With more than 16 million streams worldwide, Lynn has also performed at iconic venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Bitter End, The Bluebird Café, SXSW, and festivals throughout Colorado.
