JEN ELLIOTT will probably be an unknown quantity for those of you this side of the Atlantic, at least for the present, yet this young, Florida-born, Manhattan-dwelling performer is clearly not the kind to hide her light under a bushel for long and "The Secret's Out" is the kind of sassy, soul'n'funk-infused rock album that immediately carves out a niche commercially.
It's fair to say that - as a rule - your reviewer wouldn't listen to this kinda thing, but Jen Elliott's worth making an exception for. She's one sassy, feisty lady who's learning her craft quickly and "The Secret's Out" is both mature and slinky, with her band Bluestruck almost supernaturally well-drilled throughout.
Infectiously catchy opening tune "Move" pretty much sets the tone: a huge flourish of brass heralds a funky rock tune, with a massive, soul-review chorus. It's a great, radio-friendly song with superb vocals, though it's probably out of step with current fads. But hell - quality wins out eventually, right?
Certainly, most of the album would suggest so. Most of these songs are within spitting distance of a big, memorable chorus and have a bluesy, ballsy feel, with Ms.Elliott never failing to star. Indeed, songs like "Empty Eyes" and the nagging title track have plenty going for them, with a glossy, Stones-y raunch and ace vocals enhaned by big production jobs. Meanwhile, with "I Can't Concentrate" and the tantalisingly catchy "High Wire", she's got tunes that will happily satisfy the large clique impatiently waiting for Robert Cray's new record and with the slower, dramatic impact of "Love Crazy" she almost sounds like a female update of the ballsy, earthy blues style that marked Paul Rodgers out as a star in the early '70s.
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It doesn't all hang together so effectively. For all Jen's undeniable presence, choons like "Dead In My Tracks and "Why Can't This Be A Love Song" struggle to stand out from the crowd (plus the latter has a horrible, clicky bass drum sound that really spoils it) and for all the Keef-ish guitar and bongos, "Paint It" never gets near to attaining that Muddy Waters Chicago sound.
In fact, it's when she fucks with the tried and tested shapes that she tends to come off best. For instance, she sounds far more convincing when she concentrates on emotion over style as on "Love And The Rebel" where the sentiments go hand-in-hand with the slowburning musical backdrop to perfection or on "Curse On You", where Bluestruck get down and dirty enough to get within fork-tongued striking distance of the Delta rather than working with purely modern day appropriations.
For all her smouldering presence, Jen Elliott's still more Manhattan than Mississippi when it comes to that authentic blues sound, but - gripes aside - "The Secret's Out" remains a finely-polished, radio-friendly debut from a lady who we will surely be hearing more from.
(www.citycanyons.com )
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