Melissa Greener
Album: Transistor Corazon
Label: Anima
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.melissagreener.com

Despite being based in Nashville, Melissa Greener has got more of an Austin sound, than that that usually stems from her current location. That said, location has never really meant that much to Greener, to her the journey has always been the most important thing, both physically and metaphorically.

She was born and raised in Detroit, but appears to have been born with a wanderlust soul. Her passport has always been an import part of her. She's cycled coast to coast in Canada, lived in rural China and star gazed in the Egyptian desert.

Similarly her inner journey has been with poets and politicians, singers and sinners and naturally all of those experiences have dictated to her songs and influenced how her music sounds.

It comes as no surprise to discover that this is an album of journey songs, some from within the events, others looking from the outside. The title song "Transistor Corazon", part sung in Spanish with a mariachi influence touches on the almost mechanical way the mind and body can respond as a defence mechanism when love and life get that bit too much.

The dominating sound across "Transistor Corazon" is that of the torch ballad and Greener's confident, emotion laden, vocal ensures that the songs sound like they could flare at any moment giving the album an inherent tension that she tries to resolve with the lyric.

Melissa Greener is an artist that sings poetry. "Transistor Corazon" reflects that spirit. It's an album that needs to be listened to and the reward for that definitely makes it worth the effort.

Neil King