If there is one word that describes Cara Austin, it's passionate. And Cara's first album, "Send Me," combines her passion for missions and life with her songwriting and musical talent, and the result is an impressive debut that features her unique sound, poetic lyrics and rocking acoustic guitar chords.

This singer-songwriter-musician hails from Texas (not Austin, though, Houston!), and currently resides on the North Shore of Boston. But as her lyrics show, her heart often lies elsewhere, on the African plains, on the beaches of Thailand, in the jungles of Ecuador. Cara's love of missions and of going to the "forgotten places" has been an inspiration for many of the songs on this album, including the title track, "Send Me."

An upbeat and inspirational person, Cara has endured her share of ups and downs, and her lyrics reflect her desire to encourage anyone who has struggled to keep on going. The often humorous look at forgiveness in "Lay it Down," her searching questions in "I Know" (There are days when I start to doubt/Life gets too hard and I can't figure it out), and the deep questions that she poses to God in "Who Else," are all issues and topics that get to the very heart of all of humanity and cause Cara's listeners to question, reflect and struggle with the biggest issues in life.

A true poet, Cara is always able to mix the searching issues of life with her optimistic and upbeat outlook. There is always a mix of levity with the depth, and this is reflected in a number of her songs, including "In Heaven," "I Know," and "Lay it Down." And in this debut album, as well as in Cara's life, nothing is more attractive about her passion than her desire to follow her heart and do what is right no matter what the cost. As she writes, "They walk on/Counting all things loss/They walk on/Despite the cost."