I've finally gotten ready to do up my review of Call Off The Search. I got this CD about a week ago, and I've listened to it a few times, always meaning to write this review but never quite getting around to it. My recent trip up to Fodera gave me an nice stretch of time to listen and focus on the material, though.
First, some full disclosure: While this CD is within the general genre of CDs that I would consider purchasing, I did not buy this CD; it was given to me by the record label in return for this review. Feel free to take what I say with whatever grain of salt you see fit.
Melua's biography is interesting enough; she hails from Russia and comes to the US by way of London. She's a young girl (like seventeen or so, if I am remembering her bio sheet correctly), and this is her debut album.
Her voice immediately reminds me of Rickie Lee Jones. Melua's singing seems very empheral; the words that lept to mind on my initial listen were "waifish," "thin," "light," "mousey" and "breezy." While I can appreciate that kind of singing, it doesn't really float my boat. I tend more towards the throaty, full bodied style of vocalizing.
Most of the songs feel very similar: moody, slow, almost morose. Actually, as a note to the executive producer of this CD — placing half a dozen dark, downbeat, slow songs in a row might just lead to your target audience to start thinking of placing their head in the gas oven. And there are only so many varieties of slow songs you can string together on an album before it gets to be sleep inducing.
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