Music Review: Malea McGuinness "True Believer"

As something of a student of popular music the last forty years (not MY forty years; music's forty years) I was tickled today to receive the latest release from Malea McGuinness "True Believer" and be whisked away on a joyride of popular music through the years. Her sound is folksy. That's first. But it's also elegant, restrained, triumphant, redemptive, forward leaning, and reminiscent of another time in popular music; Malea McGuinness deserves your ear.

The first notes of piano and her airy voice lifted me up and floated me away on the very first track of this record. This one track, "Dreamer," was VERY reminiscent a popular, anorexic-lead-singer, brother sister duo (so much so that when the drums came in, I expected the chorus to go "Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby...") I was disappointed at first but McGuinness won me over with own chorus which was so much more spunky, "Dreamer, dreamer - don't give up on today!" It was Eva Cassidy on vocals with Tori Amos at the piano along with the indie flair of Cinnamon or Ivy.

Another tune, "Love Me Don't Forsake Me," had all the tenderness of Karen Carpenter, at the outset. But by the time the chorus approaches, you feel like you're in the middle of a Barack Obama pep rally "Sing to me don't fight me, loneliness inside; Heaven knows it will work out."

As the album progresses, McGuinness seems to ease into her role as lead singer. The grooves flow more easily and she seems like she's in the driver's seat. She takes the rocking up a notch on a song like "Brave In Your Arms," where she boldly asserts "I want to be with you tonight."...As if you had some kind of choice?