by Morgaine Swann
as posted at The Goddess
If you haven’t heard the name Katie Melua yet – and I’ll be surprised if you haven’t, then take note. It’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot of in the next few years. A serene young siren with a surprising touch of Patsy Cline that I suspect will grow as her voice matures. She has plenty of time – she’s only 20.
Katie turns in a very nice performance on Call Off the Search. Make no mistake – the voice is the star here. The best I can say about the accompaniment is that it doesn’t get in her way. The arrangements are gentle and sparse, but I didn’t feel as if they supported or equaled her performance. I also felt that, given that her youth is obvious in her voice, some of the material was a little trite. The "Mockingbird Song" was a poor choice. She needs to be careful not to stray into the realm of “cute”. I do want to give credit due for the two tracks that she wrote herself. Her own tune, “Belfast (Penguins and Cats” was by far my favorite and best suited to her voice.
Several songs were written by her producer. There are distinct signs of being too close to the work to make the most of it in the mix. She needs to focus on finding her own voice. There's an audience waiting to hear it.
Better material will absolutely make her a star. Give this girl a song to sing and she’ll break your heart. This is a solid CD that should probably be in every adult contemporary library. Knowing her music is going to be a measure of cultural literacy. It's already inpossible to watch TV for any amount of time without hearing her croon "The Closest Thing to Crazy" and, I have to admit, I like that.
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