Renée Wahl - Cumberland Moonshine

Renée Wahl - Cumberland Moonshine
2011, Renée Wahl Records

Physicist, educator, U.S. Air Force veteran and singer/songwriter Renée Wahl has packed a lot of living and learning into her life thus far.  An educated drifter and an organized dreamer, Wahl found her way to Nashville a few years back to make another dream come true.  Earlier this spring part of that dream came to fruition, with the release of Wahl's debut album, Cumberland Moonshine.  With an alternative edge but deep respect for country music's roots, Renée Wahl writes about life, love and the spaces in between that make all the difference. 

Cumberland Moonshine opens with "On Something New", an energetic, mid-tempo country number capturing the high of new love.  Wahl's voice is sultry and just a bit gritty, with a gorgeous velvet tone.  The folks behind her aren't too shabby either, matching Wahl note for note.  "Keeping You For Mine" takes love and obsession to dark places.  Etched against a classic melody is tale of obsession so complete that only death can ensure they never part.  "One More To Go" is a catchy country number that's commercial without commercial aspirations.  Wahl could be mistaken for a cross between Reba and Bonnie Raitt here, and the song borders on instant classic status. 

Wahl delves into blues-based rock n roll for "Under My Skin", showing off a bit of her upper range in the process.  "Roses Are Blue" is a kiss-off number born of infidelity, but laced with a good-natured humor that's refreshing.  Wahl manages to sound classic country even while placing her firmly original stamp on the song.  Renée Wahl has a likely hit on her hands in "Heartbreak Thing".  Blues, rock and country mix in a tune about trying to get over a lost love but not quite letting go.  Drinking her troubles away turns into a cycle that keeps her locked in place, with the story told against a catchy honky-tonk arrangement you won't be able to get out of your noggin.  Wahl is thoroughly in her element here, in perfect voice with all cylinders firing.

"Love Won't Be Denied" is a solid, radio-friendly country number; the sort likely to pop on a soundtrack somewhere over the next year or two.  "Come On Baby" is the ultimate invitation in song.  Wahl drops this one like a bomb; listeners of all persuasions will find themselves wishing she was singing to them, in what might be one of the catchiest and danceable country songs of 2011.  "Got A Feeling" finds Wahl turning sultry and in a slow blues number carved from the harsh realities of life.  Cumberland Moonshine closes with "I'm A Wave", perhaps the only song on the album that seems out of place.  It's a somewhat disappointing end to what is otherwise a stellar effort.

Renée Wahl might just set Nashville on fire with her voice.  Wahl gives her all on Cumberland Moonshine, one of the most exciting country debuts in the past five years or so.  Wahl's just getting started, but has already shown herself to be better-than-average songwriter.  With a voice you could listen to all day long, and a backing band that's among the best in Nashville, expect big things from Renée Wahl in the future.  Cumberland Moonshine is a thrilling introduction.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Renée Wahl at www.reneewahl.com or www.myspace.com/reneewahlmusic.  Cumberland Moonshine is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Review: Justyna Kelley - Over The Moon

Justyna Kelley - Over The Moon
2010, Iconique Music Group

Justyna Kelley grew up in Nashville, in a household where jam sessions were as much a part of family play time as anything else. Kelley appears to have been groomed for a career in music, but it's her passion for music that makes her special. Kelley's debut album, Over The Moon, features the sort of Country/Pop/Adult Contemporary crossover appeal you'd expect from Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain or Faith Hill. Produced by David Kershenbaum (Joe Jackson, Tracy Chapman), Kevin Killen (U2, Peter Gabriel, Shawn Colvin) and Guy Eckstine (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jeff Lorber), Over The Moon features ten songs worth of smooth radio-friendly country/pop and rock.

Over The Moon opens with "Once In A While", a musical monologue from one who feels forgotten in a relationship. "Once In A While" is a classic modern country ballad; Kelley delivers the song with a grace and dignity that will surprise you. It's a great opening song that is likely to have mild radio success but will fit nicely into the wonderful world of licensing. "The One I Love" is a happy mid-tempo country/pop gem. This song could be a hit on either side of the Country/Pop divide, with a chorus that will get stuck in your brain and refuse to leave. Kelley has a cultured country alto voice that is appealing; just a hint of sultry attitude hidden behind a wall of sweetness that suggests "girl next door" qualities. "Pushover" finds Kelley drifting more into the realm of Rock N Roll in a kiss off song to a friend who isn't really. It's a song of strength, of standing up for yourself. Kelley's delivery is solid, but perhaps a bit short on the anger that runs through the song.

"Over The Moon" is full of the starlight and effervescence of new love. Kelley's smooth delivery can't diminish the utter joy this song conveys, and the sweet sound of her upper range perhaps makes the song even more endearing. This one could be a bonafide pop and country hit. "Shoulda Known" is the sort of generic Pop/Country that seems to do well on commercial radio but is quickly forgotten; a decent enough song but just not something that will stick with you. Kelley puts her pop shoes on for "Have You Seen Him?” combining elements of 1980's pop, rock and country for a solid tune with commercial legs. Kelley shines on the Diane Warren-penned "Life's Like That", navigating the soaring chorus with essential grace. Kelley says goodnight with "Emily", obsessing over her man's ex-girlfriend and whether she might still be on his mind. The song is an awkward closer, at best. I suspect it was included to show a different side of Justyna Kelley, but in the end it may have been more of a disservice to Kelley than anything else.

Justyna Kelley has a gorgeous voice, and reflects a poise and comfort on this recording that suggests a highly professional performer. Over The Moon suggests that no matter how pretty her voice may be, Kelley's isn't a powerful sound. This limits the range of material available to her, certainly, but not all of the material on Over The Moon was well chosen for her voice. Kelley can certainly deliver solid Pop tunes with appeal, and working in the circles she's in she's nearly guaranteed at least a modicum of success. Over The Moon has some strong moments, but never truly soars.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Justyna Kelley at http://www.justynakelley.com/ or www.myspace.com/justynakelley. No full album is availble yet, but you can download individual tracks from Justyna Kelley on Amazon.com.

Review: Ashley Tisdale - Guilty Pleasure

Ashley Tisdale - Guilty Pleasure
2009, Warner Bros. Records

Ashley Tisdale came online as a teen pop princess with 2007’s Headstrong, parlaying that success into a vital and popular role in the High School Musical franchise. In 2009 she returns with a more “mature” solo album, Guilty Pleasure, in which Tisdale tries to show she’s all grown up by playing the bad girl. Working with top flight producers and songwriters such as Billy Steinberg (Madonna); American Idol’s Kara DioGuardi (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood); Toby Gad (Fergie, Beyonce) and Emanual Kiriakou (David Archuleta, Nick Lachey), with an edgier, guitar rock sound on Guilty Pleasure.

Guilty Pleasure opens with Acting Out, a song with great pop bite and the announcement that Tisdale is shedding her "good girl" skin. This is a great sound for radio, kind of like High School Musical meets No Doubt. It's Alright, It's Ok is also upbeat and peppy but a little too common sounding for the alt-Pop realm. Masquerade is catchy and lyrically dense with a stream of consciousness bent that will appeal to pop radio fans. This is probably a decent chart tune as it sticks in your head. Overrated is. Hot Mess is mindless and catchy; probably a big hit on the radio even though the songwriting is less than spectacular. The lyrics to this song are very young and driven with the message that Tisdale is a bad girl. How Do You Love Someone seems to try to give credibility to Tisdale's claims to being bad but instead comes across as the awkward poetry of a disaffected junior high writer. Tell Me Lies, Me Without You and Hair are all decent Pop tunes, while Crank It Up is a likely club hit. Much of the latter half of the CD is more like (occasionally decent) filler, but filler nonetheless.

Tisdale has an okay voice, yet the amount of voice correction work done here is oppressive. The production values on Guilty Pleasure are so high that as a work it begins to sound monochromatic. This is pre-packages pop aimed at the teen market but trying to transition into an adult persona that seems more contrived than real.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Ashley Tisdale at http://www.ashleytisdale.com/ or www.myspace.com/ashleytisdale. You can purchase a copy of Guilty Pleasure at Amazon.com, or download the album or individual tracks from iTunes.

Review: Megan Munroe - One More Broken String

Megan Munroe - One More Broken String
2008, Diamond Music Group

Megan Munroe grew up in the foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains. Raised according to a get-back-to-basics philosophy, Munroe grew up essentially without the influence of television. This idyllic lifestyle allowed Munroe to develop her imagination and creative abilities in ways that bypass many raised in a "plugged-in" culture. It's ironic then that her first foray into the public eye was on television. At the age of seventeen she moved to L.A. to pursue a career in acting. Munroe thrived, appearing in three films and co-starring on two episodes of the WB's Everwood within a space of three years. By the age of twenty Munroe had tired of the narcissistic culture of Hollywood and return home to Washington to focus on music (while commuting to LA on weekends of acting gigs). Munroe is based in Nashville these days, where's she's preparing for the release of her second CD, One More Broken String, due on February 10, 2009. In the mean time she continues to act, model, writing, work on a novel and train for a 5K.

Just twenty-five years old, Munroe shows the grace, confidence and polish of a seasoned performer. Co-writing most of the material for One More Broken String with longtime collaborator Brian Oaks, Munroe explores the basics of life, love, happiness, and the consequences when one or all go wrong. Munroe opens with Angel On My Shoulder (Devil On My Back), a raucous country rocker that explores the struggle to stay on the right path between the power of grace and the draw of temptation. Munroe sings her heart out on this one and it is a likely single (or should be). Munroe's voice is honey and steel, in turns, with lots of heat and grit thrown in. She can tear the roof off one moment and turn vulnerability into an art form with her next breath.

Nothing Is Easy Anymore is a prime example of the latter, a quiet and introspective ballad that is strikingly honest with a highly memorable melody. The arrangement is a classic country one with pedal steel and compact, sorrowful sounds. Moonshine is a pop rocker with country instrumentation. Munroe gets to engage in a vocally gymnastic pounce flowing out of sultry stalking the chorus. Moonshine could be the sort of song that gets tied to an artist; it shows all of Munroe's most desirable vocal qualities along with her ability to take a performance completely over the top. It's bombast, country style, and it works.

Never one to stay still, Munroe moves on to Pennies In The Ocean, a paean to chasing the golden bail, juxtaposing the heights of success with the solitary songwriter, alone with a guitar under a nondescript sky. It's a musical reality check for all who've tasted success or at least chased it, and bound to be one of the most thoughtful and poignant songs of 2009. The metronome swings quickly with Munroe, and before you even done considering the implications of Pennies In The Ocean she's launched into the delicious spite and vitriol of Leavin' Memphis. The tale of dealing with a straying husband is incredibly rich and textured, like a short story in a song. It frankly makes "Before He Cheats" sound second rate. This is top-ten country chart material if it's released as a single (and a probable #1).

Angel On Fire finds Munroe getting down to a bluegrass sound reminiscent of Allison Krauss (and in the right part of her range Munroe sounds more than a little like Krauss). Good Fight is country with an urban, almost R&B feel to it. Munroe lets the glints of steel in her voice shine through here, projecting a toughness that is tempered by intelligence. On Shameless Fool Munroe finds her vulnerable self and puts it out on her sleeve. Some of the sweeter qualities of her voice come through in a performance that also has top-ten country song written all over it (this one is probably even more likely to be a #1 than Leavin' Memphis).

Perfect Storm is a pop song born of a waltz. Munroe goes for sweetness here in a country ballad that is fairly generic for country radio but still a pleasant listen. Belle Meade is one of those rare moments where artistry and craft combine to rise above the bar of mere performance. Munroe inhabits this song like it’s her life story. The song itself isn't my favorite on the album, but Munroe wears it like her own skin and makes it more than it could ever be otherwise. It's a Sinatra moment, of sorts. Speechless is another example of Munroe's ability to take a song and make it into something special. The difference that Speechless itself is a special song, yet Munroe still finds a way to inhabit it and bring it to life. The gritty powerhouse has thoroughly melted away here and Munroe sings straight from her heart in what may be the most potentially explosive commercial song on the album. The set officially closes with Lonely Tonight, a sweet and regretful song that sounds standard country issue. Cliché perhaps, but Munroe still manages to lift the song beyond its moorings. In a pleasant surprise, Munroe has hidden an encore at the end of the album. "What I Am" is a wonderful exploration of the dual nature of humanity; the sinner/saint in each person, and how this can contrast with the expectations of those we love. Munroe speaks more truth about the human condition in three plus minutes than many pop artists speak in entire careers.

One thing is abundantly clear. Megan Munroe is ready for Nashville and ready for the world. Munroe brings all the tools of an A-list performer on One More Broken String and uses them all too full effect. One More Broken String will put Munroe on the map in a way she hasn't been before, and for all that is likely only just the start. Her songwriting partnership with Brian Oaks would appear to be a special one. Oaks may just be Munroe's Bernie Taupin, and this could be the beginning of one long, wildly successful ride for a daydreamer from Sultan. In the mean time, One More Broken String is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc, an absolute pleasure, and an early favorite for breakout album of the year.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Megan Munroe at http://www.meganmunroe.com/ or www.myspace.com/meganmunroe. You can purchase a copy of One More Broken String at www.cdbaby.com/cd/meganmunroe2.

Halie Loren - Full Circle

Halie Loren - Full Circle
2006, Halie Loren

Halie Loren is a name you should remember. The 24 year-old Alaska native and Eugene, Oregon resident has already released three albums, amassed several songwriting awards (many while still in high school), and worked with some of the most respected professionals in the music business. She won Female Rising Star and Alternative Entertainer Awards through the Independent Music Awards before turning 16, and has been cited by both the Billboard International and John Lennon Songwriting contests. Equally adept at alternative rock and jazz, Loren is a bundle of musical surprises. Her debut album, Full Circle was released in 2006 to an unsuspecting world. Prepare to be bowled over.

Halie Loren is a performer very much in the mold of Tori Amos. Her intonation and vocal style is very similar to Amos', and her songwriting style is built on the same sort of piano flourishes and structure that Amos employs. The opening track, Maybe I'll Fly is a prime example of this. That being said, Loren does seem to have a little more soul in her sound than Amos manages and comes across as perhaps a bit more grounded. Alone is a powerful and moving song with a darkly sweet melody in a beautifully orchestrated arrangement (and also the best use of the word rivulets in a pop song). Sand is a personal favorite, dark in intonation and timber, the song is full of a powerful wave of emotion. This song will haunt you.

Loren launches next into an inspired cover of Joni Mitchell's River. Loren's alto reverently caresses this song to life in a version that's at least as good as the original. Pretty Truth is an amazingly well-written song about the illusions and myths people succumb to in the early stages of a relationship. It's a refreshingly honest song lyrically and the arrangement will blow you away. Kitty is a vindictive song about social pecking orders (think a musical version of Mean Girls for adults). Full Circle is a dark and powerful calling out song that makes Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats sound tame by comparison. Loren lets another one of her influences slip through here as well, there's a definite Sarah McLachlan style to this song. Full Circle is the sort of song that Loren could still be playing to crowds twenty years from now without crowds ever tiring of it. The emotional energy in Full Circle is frightening.

Empty is also particularly worthy of a listen. Loren has fully embraced the darker side of human perspective fully by this point, and her nuanced voice perfectly shapes the twilight realm of human emotion that runs throughout Full Circle. Other highlights include Almost Even, Sisters and Lucky.

Halie Loren establishes herself as a presence with Full Circle. The alternative oriented rock feel here runs counter to the almost classically influenced piano bass compositions Loren pours her heart and soul into. Full Circle is stunning. Halie Loren doesn't sound like she's conveying emotion in the songs on Full Circle; she sounds like she's living through each painful moment as she sings. The result is an entirely compelling performance that should be required listening for anyone who wants to perform vocal music of any style. Halie Loren owns the listener by the end of Full Circle, which is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Make sure you check this one out.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Halie Loren and even purchase a copy of Full Circle at http://www.halieloren.com/.

Review: Melinda Doolittle - Coming Back To You

Melinda Doolittle - Coming Back To You

2009, Genius Products (TVN)

We last saw Melinda Doolittle in Season six of American Idol, bounced from the show by fans who value youth and gimmicks to talent and an ability to perform. Rather than run right to market to capitalize on her exposure with a collection of pre-packaged hits that wouldn't do her justice as an artist, Doolittle has chosen to take her time and put together a recording that befits her talent. The result, coming on February 3, 2009, is Coming Back To You. Most American Idol alumni have managed to disappoint, leaving behind the sounds they developed on the show for slick, pop-oriented sounds that are more production value than talent. Doolittle has stayed true to herself, delivering 13 songs steeped in classic R&B and Soul.

Opening with Fundamental Things, Melinda Doolittle sends the message that she is invested in old school sounds. Doolittle shines in a market of vocalists who have traded singing for coloratura runs and performance for posing. It's Your Love sounds like something that might have come out back when Ike and Tina were still together. Moving out in front has done wonderful things for Doolittle, and her voice on Coming Back To You appears to have grown in stature and soul since her Idol days. Coming Back To You is a classic R&B ballad, and likely a single, but may not be the strongest song on the CD.

Declaration Of Love, on the other hand, is the highlight of the disc. Doolittle opens up like a flower on this one and belts her way to musical glory. Melinda Doolittle has that rare double of being able to sing a song to life as well as being able to sell it on personality alone. When the two aspects of her personality and talent come together Doolittle lights up a stage like a bonfire, and this song is likely to be a concert favorite for years to come. Wonderful has a great soul groove to it. Doolittle finds the pop heart of this song without selling it out; giving a nuanced and personal performance that will touch listeners.

Dust My Broom has that touch of theatrical wonder that only a seasoned performer can master. Melinda Doolittle has the ability to reach out through the speakers and connect with listeners in a way that some artists struggle to do even in a live environment. Her voice here is at its absolutely best. The music industry just hasn't heard this kind of explosive voice in a while. Aretha and Tina are still around of course, but Melinda Doolittle might be ready to take up their respective crowns. Other highlights include I'll Never Stop Loving You, If I'm Not In Love, Walkin' Blues and We Will Find A Way.

It's been clear from her very first appearance on American Idol that Melinda Doolittle was a special talent. Idol alumni have been a mixed bag in the sales department, and even more suspect in the quality department. Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler and Carrie Underwood have all had great success towing the pop line while giving up some of the character and personality that made them stars on the show. Kelly Clarkson has broken out somewhat from that mold only to see her sales plummet. Taylor Hicks built up the biggest persona on the show, but gave up his personality to the production team on his eponymous major label debut. The same goes for Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino, both of whom were disappointing in spite of winning their respective years. Melinda Doolittle has stayed true to what made her a star on Idol, and has created, by far, the best album to come out of an Idol alumni to date (I've yet to hear David Cook's debut, but its hard to imagine him topping Coming Back To You). Melinda Doolittle's sound isn't as commercial as many of those who have come before her, but I'll bet this album outsells all of her predecessors. Coming Back To You is pure gold, a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Its a must for Doolittle fans; fans of classic R&B and soul, and anyone looking for good, quality music sung with a lion's heart.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Melinda Doolittle at www.myspace.com/melindadoolittle. You can pre-order Coming Back To You at Amazon.com.