Unlikely Emergency

by

Serena Ryder

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File Serena Ryder's name away as someone to keep an ear for. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been visiting the shores of Oz these last couple of years and enthralling the crowds of the coastal folk festivals that have grown in popularity over the last decade. Ryder has a big, big voice, mature beyond her years. And she can let it out full force, as per the unaccompanied,'At Last'. Cyndi Lauper's covered this recently and with more melodiousness. But Ryder's earthy take is equally breathtaking. On,'Skin Crawl' and the title song,'Unlikely Emergency' she demonstraes the quivering tonality that great voices so effortlessly emit. The production and backing here is uneven and doesn't really create the spaces that might better showcase her gifts. The songs are solid vehicles without showing an especial lyric gift. Some one will surely spot Ryder and nurture the exemplary gifts that this debut demonstrates. Several comparisons can be made. The stunning debut of Tracy Chapman's unique voice,is one. For those already with a ticket on Ryder's journey, try Melbourne based, country chantreuse, Deborah Conway's,'String Of Pearls'(hard to trace,though). The other favourable comparison, less for her writing than for her sonorous vocal attributes,is Ellen McIllwaine.