Michelle Albano Second Guesses (Big Dreamer Music 2005) by Corey J. Feldman Good original piano rock is hard to come by, and a powerful yet innocent female piano rocker is ever rarer. Michelle Albano uses her angelic, elegant voice to sing her thoughts in songs of various shapes and sizes. The range of her 11 track debut album, Second Guesses, really puts her on the map of growing artists. From pop/rock and lounge tunes, to ballads of beautiful rhyming poetry, Michelle’s voice and lyrics were crafted over many years. Her band supports her music with a perfect balance of right-on rhythms and orchestrated musical subtleties, pauses, moments of improvisation, simplicity and complexity.

“Bye Baby,” the album opener, starts with some light, pretty piano chord progressions and melodies, followed directly by a straight, full band rock verse, and a powerful, catchy chorus: “Cause every time I hear you call my name/I know it’s gonna be the same/I’ve already said a thousand times/Bye baby bye bye.” She sets an upbeat, head-bobbing mood only to follow, some slower more eloquent songs.

Her lyrics have a unique boy/girl pop feel, but they’re very biographical and represent a growing musician, lyricist, and singer. While most pop artists find and abuse clichés (particularly romantic ones), Michelle makes her own, unique, original words shine in a very radio friendly way.

“Reason” is a pop/rock tune with a hint of lounge energy that drives as she sings, “If you need a reason to be happy/If you need a reason to be kind/If you need a reason to love me/Nevermind, Nevermind.” You get a very strong, independent rock feel at this moment of the album as “Reason” comes after a lonely pop song called “Lullaby of the Passing Cars” where the lyrics take great shape and paint a great image: “But if I have to make this cereal box into dinner for the week/Then that’s what I’ll do/Cause I don’t ever wanna leave.”

Her final track, “Painting By Numbers,” is a genius lyrical toy to end an album. Layered over a seemingly solo piano with faint echoes of an acoustic guitar, she gently sings “Water it down/Change it around/All the more reason to fight/Stating your case/That perfect mistakes/Just somehow seem right.” This album is a concept, and one I’ve become particularly attached to even though it’s not the type of music I like to enjoy on a daily basis. When you finish listening to the album, you do feel like you know the artist a little, and that’s a hard musical experience to achieve.

Though she may seem to be filling the same niche as a Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Albano has a mature voice that speaks to both the younger female pop/rock demographic, as well as a more mature contemporary audience. She’s already claimed the Bitter End once a month, and the potential is certainly there. Her voice could get her anywhere, and it serves her best in her own music. Her original songwriting and rock-solid band give her a unique position in the NYC music scene as the professional quality of her music certainly deserves some mainstream attention. I’d certainly be interested to hear any music she writes in the future.

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