It Turned Me On

Album Review

Bringing to mind an early Natalie Merchant, It Turned Me On is chock-full of sweet pop melodies with enough hooks and twists to keep it flowing easily. "Make It Right" is a tad too radio-friendly in its rhythm and adult contemporary feeling, but Jennifer Marks makes her mark from the onset with a lovable delivery, despite the ending dragging out a bit longer than required. The funky groove on the title track has a homoerotic story behind it, but she brings a light-hearted enthusiasm to it that resembles Sheryl Crow, and particularly Liz Phair. Knowing what she can and cannot do, Marks sticks to her strengths on the infectious "Live," which could be mistaken for Vanessa Carlton or Michelle Branch in certain instances. "I'm going to keep on laughing, the best is going to happen," she sings to the obvious toe-tapper. The swaying feeling to the waltz-like lullaby on "Happy" shows the singer at her best, mixing her pop sensibilities within a soulful framework. A weaker track is "You Won't Let Me Go," a mid-tempo narrative that is a bit too slick and polished for its own good. But for the most part, these are finely crafted songs, andMarks nails "Really Something" with a great amount of care and talent. The highlight has to be the pop/rock style of "Get Me Out Of Here," a song possessing a great Keith Richards "less is more" guitar riff.