Michelle Anthony: Stand Fall Repeat - Page 2

Unfortunately the CD doesn't quite do justice to Anthony's voice, and I would never have known that if I hadn't seen her live. That's not to say it doesn't show she's a good singer: in fact, when I first listened to the disc I thought, Thank goodness, a female singer-songwriter who isn't afraid to actually sing!

But she's stronger live, and I don't think it's the fault of the recording per se, since the voice is clear and up front in the mix. Maybe Anthony and her team were a little too distracted by the authentic sounds of their guitars and keyboards, which do sound great. Or maybe she was trying a little too hard to be "controlled" in the studio ("Ellouise" excepted). It's hard to say. In any case, the voice is more impressive live.

Another issue is that the country vibe was totally absent in the live performance. In itself, that's neither a bad nor a good thing. But the CD might give industry people the wrong idea.

Still, a good song is a good song. Anthony has some, and if she keeps at it she can probably write many more. And her voice alone, especially if she tours enough (she has upcoming dates in Austin and in the Midwest), ought to get her noticed.

All in all this is a very promising debut.

Article Author: Jon Sobel

Jon Sobel is Co-Executive Editor of Blogcritics. As a writer he contributes most often to the Culture section, where he often reviews NYC theater; he also writes a semi-regular review round-up of independent music releases. …

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