Wake Up Love
Artist: Melanie Penn
Label: Independent
Tracks: 11

A little over a decade ago a loosely knit group of independent musicians began popping up around Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York. These young artists were not concerned with towing the line or spewing out propaganda. They wanted to create art that was both beautiful and mesmerizing. Some eleven years later these young artists are still creating amazing music and adding artists to their number on a regular basis. One of the newest members of this group is a young lady named Melanie Penn. I first became aware of Melanie when I saw her performing as a member of Dusty Brown's band. I was struck immediately by the excellence of her voice and her totally professional stage presence.

Melanie has recently released her debut solo album entitled Wake Up Love. The album was, for the most part, recorded and produced in Nashville by Ben Shive at The Beehive and Paul Moak at the Smoakstack. With the exception of the old Lovin' Spoonful chestnut "Daydream" all of the tunes contained on this album are original material written by Melanie with an occasional assist from Ben Shive or Scott Mebus. Sonically the album would fit comfortably into the singer/ songwriter genre with a periodic side step into modern country music. The lyrical content is topnotch material covering subjects like heartbreak in "Sorrow" or abject loneliness in "A Star's Lament."  Although dealing with at times sad subject material the lyrics never wallow in self pity. They are highly intelligent and a joy to listen to. 

This does not seem like a debut project in anyway, it feels like an old and wise friend who is sharing her thoughts and feelings with some close friends. Melanie Penn is a force to be reckoned with and I only hope she will be sharing her music with us for many years to come, check her out on My Space, Facebook and of course at www.MelaniePenn.com.

Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock