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Danielia Cotton, Small White Town

This lady can sing; she can rock; and she's clearly got some serious backing, since she's netted opening slots for Bon Jovi, Living Colour, Collective Soul and more. Perhaps Danielia Cotton's a dynamo on stage - her take-no-prisoners vocals give that impression - but underwhelming material makes this CD a disappointment. The songs, in general, are insufficiently memorable, and, strangely for a rock album, the electric guitars sound thin.

Of the rockers, I liked "Today," which has a good hook to go with its chunky beat. And Cotton makes some fruitful moves away from rock, into neo-soul territory for "4 A Ride" and the passion-drenched "Shame"; and back in time for the ballad "Pride," which sounds like it could have been an Aretha Franklin track from the late sixties. Another positive: the downright inspiring, powerhouse vocal arrangements in "It's Only Life," "Take My Heart," and the acoustic-electronic closer "Chains," among others.

But overall, and particularly as far as her hard stuff goes, this Hendrix- and Led Zeppelin-inspired artist needs better material to make the most of her powerful pipes.

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Tina Dico, In the Red

To make a horrid generalization: pop music from Europe often sounds behind the times. The Danish star Tina Dico's first US and UK release, with its 1970s feel, is no exception and by rights should feel pretty old-hat. But Dico's songwriting ability and lyrical seriousness give the music a timeless quality, and sometimes untrendiness is cool. The contemplative "Warm Sand" and the gripping "Head Shop" are two prime examples of her straightforward attack.

That 1970s feel is found primarily in Dico's strong, relatively uninflected singing style and close harmonies, which suggest earlier Northern European pop acts like Ace of Base, the Corrs and even Abba. But those groups had an intentional frilliness which Tina Dico does not share. Her sombre melodies and introspective lyrics are fetching in quite a different way. If music can be said to be both heavy-hearted and uplifting, that's Tina Dico.

Vulnerability is nice when tastefully done, but there's too much tasteless whining in female folk-pop (not to mention male alt-rock) these days. There's much to be said for letting a song's message come through unimpeded. Dico shows some welcome rawness in a few songs, like the lovely "Room With a View," but as a whole this CD is a statement of the power rather than the lossiness of romance, and a bracing antidote to the pseudo-girlie, affected breathiness that habitually let down today's would-be rock or folk-pop music fan.