Young, talented and tragic

While these acts uniformly come at us with youth and freshness written all over them; in the case of Jennifer Hudson, the tragic deaths of her mother, brother and nephew, clearly demonstrate how fame can also have its costly price. Amy MacDonald is a new Scottish singer/songwriter, while Metro Station is a fun group of teenagers with links to that “other” Cyrus sensation, Miley.

Jennifer Hudson (Sony BMG) — The self-titled album of this American Idol contestant and Dreamgirls cast member does show off her powerful voice, and there are a variety of settings that showcase just how flexible she wants to be within the R&B genre. The minor hitch I had with this CD was precisely just how much of a chameleon she is trying to be. There are strong ballads reminiscent of Gladys Knight, and a duet with Fantasia (another American Idol alumnus) had Jennifer channeling Mary J Blige; but when she ventures into songs with Ludacris and T. Pain, I wondered if she was biting off more than she can chew. The straight ahead pop stylings of her single, Spotlight, would seem to be more her metier, as are the songs with a Gospel influence. Strong debut, more focus next time.

This is the Life — Amy Macdonald (MCA Universal) — The 20-year-old Scottish singer/songwriter obviously has a lot of talent, and can rise above the obvious category of chick-music (just like how chicklit and chickflicks evolved). Amy had me thinking KT Turnstall, the Cranberries and Edie Brickell to name a few female acts that I’ve enjoyed through the years. Some songs had a very traditional English folk sound, and I’m just not sure how well that would go down in the market, but insofar as insightful and depthful lyrics are concerned, Amy delivers the goods. Jake Gyllenhaal, Ewan MacGregor, the Red Hot Chilis, they’re all cultural references for this wonderful songwriter. Listen well to Run, Let’s Start A Band and Footballer’s Wife.

Metro Station (Sony BMG) — A phenom on MySpace, Metro Station is a terribly young band (yes, some of its members are still fake ID age) that takes energy and enthusiasm to a new level. The music is quite developed for kids so young, and it reminded me of bands like The Cars. They mix dance beats with electronica and lyrics of teenage yearning to perfection. Check out the tracks Seventeen Forever, Shake It and Wish We Were Older, and one can’t help but smile and turn this band into a guilty pleasure. In terms of promoting, the fact that the lead singer is the half brother of Miley Cyrus can’t harm the PR practitioners, but thankfully, beyond this fact, the music does live up to the hype. It’s Emo Lite, and they do play their own instruments (the drummer is a Fil-Am!).