Home of the Brave

Album Review

If there were any justice in the music business, this emotional powerhouse of a retro-soul singer/songwriter would be up there on the charts with the Macy Grays, Sheryl Crows, and Nikka Costas, to whom she's been compared by the critical media. Overall, there's a folksy warmth amidst the soulful textures, but the tune that's become her calling card is the more anthemic "Vineyard," which finds her vocals building over a bed of Fender Rhodes before exploding along with tight brass and a pitter patter of industrial percussion-honestly, the perfect balance of rich, vocal soul and modern and old school textures. Culturally, she's a mix of African American and Native American, and so her lyrical themes tend to gravitate to themes like "Underdog" when she's not finding unique ways to convey more conventional ideas like "Say You Love Me." She even skirts the teen market with a more adult approach to that fluffy style on the chorus to "Someday We'll Be Friends." Other songs also reflect her unique American heritage; "Free" has a funky Creole slant blended with hip-hop beats, and "Heaven" has the gospel flavors of her Southern childhood. Her songwriting in spots also shows a powerful social-minded wit, but it's the voice and production gumbo which draws you in.