Reviewed by Stuart Blackburn

The musicianship and production on this eight track debut from Florida's Melissa Bollea are tighter than an armadillo up a drainpipe. Sadly Melissa's voice is the weakest link. If I'm not mistaken I would guess that she's been to Nashville with a few songs and a few grand to buy an all-in-one CD package. The session musicians (presumably) at The Sound Emporium are not credited; the producer is suspiciously named Will Smith; and Disc Makers get the manufacturing credits. Other suspicions are raised by the brevity of the whole thing (24 minutes), with a couple of the songs only coming in at just over two minutes. Melissa sings her own compositions which are not without potential but clearly need development. As far as the voice goes, she struggles to sing in tune and there is a real doubt about her range. If this isn't an off the shelf deal she wants to find a producer with a few more tricks up his sleeve, or perhaps some straight-talking friends.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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