Jennifer Ringley

Jennifer Ringley It's not often that you find a new voice in the marketing juggernaut that is pop music. Most "artists" are nothing of the sort in terms of creativity, innovation, or even just a devotion to the sheer process of making music. At first glance, Jennifer Ringley seems to be yet another pop diva-in-waiting with a formulaic album replete with forgettable though successful chart-toppers. But someone forgot to tell her that. Able to summon up the throaty wailings of Melissa Etheridge or the breathy affectations of Sarah MacLachlan, and delivered with a sincerity scarcely heard in today's industry, Ringley certainly has the formula for a studio-friendly sound. The perennial dance favorite, Send Me An Angel is an obvious bid by the record company to keep Jennifer's albums selling at least in New York clubs (though her use of a full orchestra makes for a nice updated sound), but tracks like, How Will I Know When It's Right? and All I Want Is The Truth, belie a yearning that can only come from painful experience. Trust me, Jennifer could have played the lonely wallflower for an entire album and had me hooked, but that's where she breaks the mold. Despite the album's lack of a definitive focus, Jennifer knows enough about life to ask the right questions, even if she doesn't have the answers, as exemplified by tracks like Somebody Up There Likes Me and Eyes On The World. It's when she turns up the heat that she gets the most attention. While it's clear that Jennifer is very comfortable with and open about her sexuality, she does so without feeling the need to flaunt it in your face. And It's a Woman Thing, her unabashed statement on the dubiousness of feminism, is a much-needed wake up call for a new century of impressionable young listeners. In case you think I'm totally smitten by her, she doesn't always hit the mark. But while songs like Can You Keep A Secret? and When All Is Said And Done don't have the same resonance as the first eight tracks, it's apparent that Ms. Ringley is headed on an upward spiral before we hear the last of her. I can't wait to hear what's next... ENTER HERE