Melissa Ferrick
Everything I Need (What Are Records?)
By: Alex Steininger
Acoustically driven pop with a strong vocal presence, and the drive to match the intensity found throughout, Melissa Ferrick gets back to music on her third album, EVERYTHING I NEED. After commercial success eluded her (she put out two albums on Atlantic Records), Melissa began to doubt herself. But, through trying to overcome her own insecurities, and a need to create music, Melissa is back with eleven solid songs that prove her and her music are one."I Will Arrive," a sharp and powerful number, opens the album with confidence matched by few. Taking charge through her spirited vocals, nothing stands in her way as she travels from note to note with a sweet touch. Then the pop hooks come flying in, and you're lost in a swirl of tightly packaged rhythms and streaming guitar riffs.
Without being redundant, or overwhelming, Melissa continues to travel down her own musical path without alienating her audience. The title track boosts a slight country tingle while always gracing her pop foundation.
It is the pop that gets you listening, but Melissa's own voice and lyrics, along with her strong drive to make everything as energetic as possible, that keeps you listening. Bold and free, believing in every song note to note, she just can't lose. The album burns with passion, and is happy despite setbacks ("I'll never write a hit song, my love will leave me hanging on, but everything I need is right here."-Everything I Need).
There is such a positive vibe her, you just can't help but notice it. Based in highly charged pop-rock, funk, country, and other musical elements find there way into the overall sound, which gives Melissa all the room she needs to be as creative and diverse as she wants. Her live shows are described as "intense," and after listening to this album I'd believe it. Though, it's pretty hard to get more intense than this. I'll give this album an A-.
