With a name like "Goodness," their music comes across just as one might expect - happy, uplifting, optimistic, and yet still strong enough to grab you by the ear, plant you in your car seat and finger tap the steering wheel as you drive down the roadway. Bred from the Seattle area, a place where the reputation obviously precedes it as the breeding ground of choice for many an upstart 90's grunge act, "Goodness," with their Immortal Records debut, takes a step outward in their fresh approach to song writing. Opting for strong harmonies backed by pop hooks and crunching guitar chords, which go along with a sound state of mental aptitude, rather than the accepted negativity and duress that often plays in the creativity of others, they're a picture of ambition and encouragement.

"Anthem," fronted by gifted vocalist Carrie Akre, whose credits include stints with Shadow that featured former Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, and more prominently Hammerbox a few years back, quickly had the same impact on me as did Pat Benatar when she first exploded on the scene twenty years earlier. After hearing the first couple of tunes, "Anthem," "Pretender" and "Bitter Man," I felt the similarities strongly existed both in the singing and strength of the rhythm section. Akre proves an accessible siren on "Anthem," where she carries both a powerful, yet wistful, presence as the situation calls for, and plenty of sing-along choruses.

Other tracks like "I'd Rather" and "Walkaway" define it best in promoting her delivery, while "Our Last Goodbye," "Ashes" and "Cozy" take on a lighter tone, showing off the sensitive nature too few are willing to acknowledge. So, stepping away from the whole "angry female" persona, yes, it would appear that "Goodness" are promoting just that, and there should be few, if any, who could dispute such a claim after listening to their satisfying new release.