I’ve tried writing book reviews, product reviews and music reviews on MVIS in the past, and it’s never been super successful. It’s probably because you come to this blog because I write what I think, I spill my guts and don’t apologize for it (most of the time) and because I make you think. Most people don’t come to me for my deep and inspiring thoughts on lip gloss or my favorite shoes. I’m okay with that.

Nonetheless, a dear friend of mine, Christina Belknap, singer / songwriter of Eudora June, asked me to review her upcoming EP release, Siren Song.

I met Christina 3 years ago at my favorite Starbucks across from Georgia State. We were both undergrads in the English department. A friend of mine from Atlanta Ballet was a prof in the department and emailed asking if I’d meet with a student of hers who was a talented writer and was looking into the magazine industry.

That’s one thing I love about Atlanta – girls stick together. There is not a single woman I met, CEO to EA, who would turn down a cup of coffee, whether it was for writing, business or relationship advice.

Ever since that first latte, Christina has been a kindred spirit. She is a beast and a force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t apologize for what she wants, who she wants to be and she does not stop running.

Christina’s a runner like me. She runs hard and fast, every moment toward who she is becoming…a better writer, a stronger woman, a deeper artist, a bigger thinker, a more grounded person. It’s women like Christina that make me keep running when I want to stop.

But sometimes being a runner means you also run from the things that intimidate you, make you uncomfortable and scare you. Being a runner is a lifestyle, not just a technique for getting what you want.

I ran away from Atlanta because I thought I needed to prove to myself I could do something none of my friends or peers were doing.

I ran away from ballet because no matter how hard I tried to be perfect, if my parents didn’t know the right people, it didn’t matter how many meals I skipped or pirouettes I turned.

I ran away from California because I thought the woman I was supposed to become was on the other greener grass.

I ran away from many good relationships because I couldn’t face who I was when I was with that person. I ran away because I had these ideas that good relationships are supposed to look like my parents relationship. Or, rather, not like theirs.

I’m trying to run away from a relationship right now that is good for me. That is actually pretty perfect.

But I can’t run away from the demons inside me. They weren’t in Atlanta or in that jerk I dated when I was 20. They were in me.

The song that’s been stuck on repeat on my iPod the last week has been Eudora June’s “Runaway.”

I love this song so much, in fact, that the next people who write a comment below, I will buy the song for you on iTunes. I love the song that much. This isn’t an endorsement from the artist, or a marketing giveaway gimmick. I just know that when a song speaks to you, you have to share it with your friends. If you’re a dreamer, if you’ve ever run toward something good, or away from it, tell me and I’ll buy you the song.

Lets keep together runners. <3

(If you’d like to see Christina next week, Eudora June celebrates EP release party: June 23; 9pm, Atlanta. Deets here.)

(And keep up with runners like you at EJ’s FB, Twitter and website.)

Siren Song, released June 23, 2011, by Eudora June (Christina Belknap, singer / songwriter)

P.S. all other songs on the upcoming EP are AMAZING. Download the rest of the tracks on iTunes when they come out

“”Siren Song” is not only the realization of a lifelong ambition and my artist debut, but it is a statement. It is a declaration that you can survive anything, get your soul all bashed up, black & blue, and from that wreckage create something beautiful…and real. What “Siren Song” is all about, and what I had to do to create it, was not covering anything up, but rather rip my experiences wide open so I could tell a story.

My hope is that people really feel the music, like, deep down in their guts. Because that’s where I go to create it. A lot of people might have told me this endeavor was way crazy, the time put in, the money spent and the expectations.But I am here a year later – and “Siren Song” is realized – that in itself is an act of bravery, and one that I hope inspires others to go a little crazy, too.”

– Christina Belknap, singer / songwriter, Eudora June