Dutch singer/songwriter, dancer, and actress
Ellen ten Damme slinks through 12 sexy, impassioned rock songs on
I Am Here, the follow-up to her 1995 debut Kill Your Darlings. Whether singing dreamily on "Miss You," thrashing à la
PJ Harvey on "Gadget," or cooing through the hot, dancey "Something Na Na Na,"
Ellen ten Damme has a unique and powerful voice -- part
Eleni Mandell, part
Leona Naess -- that for the most part is supported by interesting arrangements. Like
Liz Phair,
Ellen ten Damme isn't afraid to put her diary to music, and she does it with confidence and a perspective that is too often absent from rock & roll. ~ Charles Spano