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Melissa Stott

Why Now

feetfirst records ffr 5004

Anyone present at Melissa Stott's recent Vortex performance could not have failed to have been impressed by the sheer professionalism and pep she displayed there, backed by just piano and guitar; she simply charmed the socks off her listeners with the ease and grace of her presentation.

As this, her debut album demonstrates, though, she has a great deal more going for her than a winsome stage manner: she is also a witty, accomplished songwriter with the ability to deliver her material with beguiling, informal intimacy in a light but pleasing voice somewhat reminiscent of Stacey Kent.

Her songs are full of the sort of verbal felicities (internal rhymes, neat twists, the telling use of colloquialism) associated with classic 'standard' songwriters, and she is as at home with languorous samba rhythms as with perky, light swing or original blues, but what most impresses is the sureness of emotional pitch she achieves throughout, whether she's encouraging a mysteriously reluctant suitor, castigating a perfidious lover or simply bemoaning her romantic lot; given a break (an appearance on 'Parkinson' would do nicely), she could be big.