Every Sunday after 9pm, the Original Showcase has Fanpower, in which listeners, or fans of an artist, can request more plays of their favourite acts.
If success was based on the amount of requests we receive, then Southampton based Melissa would be top of the charts.
She consistently gets requests from all ages, genders and nationalities. And it is no surprise.
Her voice is excellent; her songs are about life and love, and the music is a mixture of laid-back jazz and country. She plays keyboard and flute, Dave accompanies her on guitar.
The requests arrive by text, email and telephone and its during the calls you can hear that Melissa's songs have tickled an emotional response with her fans.
" I write about what ever springs into my mind, or is triggered by events around me, even conversations on the bus"
There is nothing new in Melissa's approach to writing, but she definatley has something which links her music to the minds and hearts of the listener.
Thanks to the internet this effect is being felt abroard with an appreciative following on the American country circuit and she is hoping to head out to the States; but the album comes first and that should be with us by the end of the year.
You can hear a track in this Sundays showcase on Original 106fm radio between 6 and 10pm. Or visit www.original106.com/showcase to download aa sample.

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"There are no need for labels when a voice is as good as this. Such a blessing to hear well crafted songs with such melodic backbones. Sit back and relax. UK talent at its best."

With an effortless, smooth vocal, this jazz meets showtime record contains an abundance of classy piano too.

'Who Knows' harks back to the heroines of 70s folk-pop whereas 'Say Hello' sounds more like a song from a jazzy-musical. 'Nothing Changes' has the flavour of an eighties throbber, albeit with an easy listening syncopated drum beat flowering things up.

The strangest element to Melissa's sound is that, while there's a lot going on, it's quite a quiet record. The vocal doesn't need to demonstrate a mass of projection and that wouldn't work for these songs anyway. It's all very neat and tidy and the songs are all the more classy for this unusual treatment.

This is one of those records that calls out for the word 'accomplished' and I'm not about to deny the request.

Written By: Steve (5335 - [?]) View The Mag Team

Date: 20/08/2007

Like a pixie on ice skates, Southampton singer/songwriter Melissa knows a thing or two about coming across all light and twinkly. It’s never twee though, as the glacial jazz shapes and ethereal vocals on the “Say Hello” single (and its two accompanying tunes) bristle with sophistication and world-weary attitude. More 18-carat Cartier than Barbie Fairy Princess play set.

The lead track here justifies its status with coolly confident rhythms, crisp piano, cut-glass harmonies and a distinctive, free-range vocal. Melissa’s voice dances with the sweetness and maturity of Carole King or Joni Mitchell as she proves that power doesn’t automatically equal volume. The dubious synthesiser backing mars the experience slightly and a more stripped-down acoustic approach may have served the song better, but there’s no denying that this is effortlessly classy stuff.

The two other tracks here do a good job of adding a few different cushions to the Melissa sofa. “Nothing Changes” offers a quirky-yet-gentle touch as rippling acoustic guitar textures and skittering rhythms play host to her most delicate, wayward and generally Kate Bush-like vocal. Conversely, “Who Knows” dabs a toe in the misty moor of folk as heavily processed 12-string guitar sounds feed into swirls of mounting passion. As windswept, dramatic and big-skirted as anything with Stevie Nicks on it, this is grown-up music that’s not afraid to daydream.

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