Caroline Smith has had a monumental year. She's been a Twin Cities mainstay for the past few years ever since beginning a routine solo gig at the 400 Bar. Many Minnesota musicians got their start at that venue before it shut the doors, and Caroline met her band through connections she made at those performances.

The solo routine turned into a backing band called The Goodnight Sleeps. That lasted until this year when the quartet went back to just using Caroline's name. It correlated with a complete change in direction. From pretty folk to neo-soul, Caroline says that it was about time that the band grasped on to what they really loved: unabashed pop songs inspired by the critical point of the '90s when that genre came to the forefront.

What we have now is the debut album of this next phase of the band's career. Half About Being A Woman has seen Caroline Smith and her teammates explode in popularity — and not just here in the Twin Cities.

Songs performed: "The One Thing," "Magazine" and "Half About Being A Woman"

Bonus, online exclusive: "Bloodstyle"

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