While Ms. Melua has a powerful singing voice, is as hot as hell and can play a decent guitar, this CD lacks any semblance of distinction. It's warmed-over pop/country/folk music cobbled together and thrown straight at the radio. The lyrics are about as deep as a puddle and the riffs forgettable like last-month's New York Times editorial, making it hard to imagine why this album, particularly the boring, over-long "The Closest Thing To Crazy" is so popular in the UK.
That having been said, Katie makes the best of bad material with her incredibly flexible singing voice. At times reminiscent of the numberous pop-divas she's trying to emulate and at other times sounding like a cultured be-bop lounge singer from the 50's, her talent is obvious. Well, her singing talent anyway. The chords she plays on her under-mixed acoustic guitar are all-too-familiar and forgettable, if well-played. The addition to the Irish Film Orchestra for some of the songs is a nice touch which adds a depth not often found on pop albums but again, it's undermixed and often under-utilized.
With the right song-writer and better production, Katie is poised to make a run at the pop market in the U.S. Her singing talent is obvious but forgettable music, shallow lyrics and poor production decisions ruin the experience.
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