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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow! Welcome to the world, Katrina!, October 5, 2004
Take a touch of Martina McBride's incredible vocal talent and throw in a dash of Chely Wright's downhome spunk ... and you have the terrific middleground debut of Katrina Elam. From the driving beat of DROP DEAD GORGEOUS to the lyrical heartbreak of THE BREAKUP SONG, Katrina drifts effortlessly in and out of melodies with the grace of a surprisingly accomplished singer. With a bit more promotion and airplay, she's a talent that should enjoy a great career in the world of country music. A rare exception to the current crop of C&W performers, Katrina manages to breathe life into every track of this first swing.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just saw her open for Keith Urban & was pleasantly suprised!, October 10, 2004
I just heard her this evening opening up for Keith Urban! I hadn't even recalled hearing her single yet, & didn't really think much of her opening up. (I was way too excited to see Keith Urban!)
I have to honestly tell you I was not really anticipating much of her, but was pleasantly suprised! She has a WONDERFUL voice, & her songs were fun & spunky! I expect to be seeing much more of her to come!
I really enjoyed "Strong Anything", "Drop Dead Gorgeous", and the song about a "real McCoy, Cowboy" (don't know the real title!) These are upbeat songs that I think women young & old will relate to in a special way of their own!
She also sang an extra touching song called "Flowers on the Side of the Road" that refers to the death of 2 friends. This one is a sobering reality of many people, & I am willing to bet (& I am not a gambler) she pulls quite a few heartstrings of listeners in a way that is unique to country music.
I think as a newcomer, she definitely shows serious promise. If she is as headstrong & determined as she appears to be, she will definitely make quite an impact! After hearing these songs from her, I am definitely buying her album!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive vocal talent, songwriting could use improvement., February 23, 2005
Katrina Elam's made quite a splash as an artist to watch, thanks to her robust voice, young age, and the fact that she writes. Listening to this record, she does indeed seem to have assets beyond most artists her age, though some of these could use a little more maturing.
It's hard to tell how much or what parts of the songwriting Elam contributes to, because she doesn't have a solo songwriting credit on the album. All her credits are as a co-writer, possibly lyricist -- an estimate suggested (not proven) by Elam's lack of an instrumental credit on the record. That's not to be counted against Elam, though I would've loved to hear a solo Elam composition just as a comparison. However, I don't consider songwriting the biggest forte of this record. The arrangements are good, with lively acoustic guitars, good country grooves on the uptempo numbers, but the songs behind them often rely on the arrangements to carry them through. I just find many of the verses unengaging, with a vocal melody that often meanders and isn't memorable. "No End in Sight" suffers from that Achilles' Heel of young songwriters, which is alternating two notes three half-steps apart ("da de-da de-da de-da"), which almost always sounds like the songwriter can't find a good melody to fit on top of the chord progression. To be fair, even songwriting veterans often fall into this trap when they have a strange progression that resists vocal parts. "Unbreakable" has good lyric hooks, but too much melisma (a Mariah Carey trademark) serves to blur the nice central melody; and "Drop Dead Gorgeous" sounds aimless, hanging on an uptempo groove, but is melodically flat, not progressing or building well. The imagery in the lyrics can also sometimes lapse into country cliches (beer, coffee, cowboys etc. etc...), feeling automatic, as if fulfilling listener expectations of a country song, rather than inspired specifically by the song topic.
But if Elam's songwriting (or that of her collaborators) isn't always satisfying, her vocal performances are. Hear it on the radio without any background info, and you won't guess she's 20 years old. Her voice is confident, with good depth and technique, and it's her performance that elevates many of the weaker songs. With the strongest songs like the quietly romantic "Flowers by the Side of the Road", the sunny "Prelude to a Kiss" and the poignant "Home Running Away", she soars -- her dark-tinged voice is especially great for ballads, allowing her to grip the melody and work it, letting the listener enjoy the timbre of her voice. "Home Running Away", the best song on the record, is an example of what Elam can accomplish when she has sure-handed melodies and a tight song structure to work with. Vocally it's one of her most subtle performances on the album, the least eager to impress, and the most mature.
It's great to see a young artist, especially a country singer, taking part in her own songwriting, possibly the best way to control one's own artistic direction. Even though I found some of the songwriting a little flat, this is still a very listenable record, and Elam's voice is always nice to hear, no matter the material. There's potential for another Shelby Lynne here.
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by Katrina Elam 
