The strongest component of
Meredith Edwards' debut album,
Reach, is the young artist's vocal interpretation of her material. For those who are looking for extremely memorable, stellar songs, you may be disappointed by the general mediocrity of the cuts. On the other hand, for those who love a powerful vocalist,
Edwards will definitely grab your attention. Embracing the country-pop sound,
Edwards will have your toes tapping throughout "In Any Given Moment" and "The Bird Song," the cleverest of the cuts, told from the perspective of a feathered people-watcher. Shifting gears on songs like "This Is the Heartache" and "You," the teen shapes an even package of up-tempo and ballad. After a modern, pop vocal performance that suits someone of
Edwards' age, along comes the twang of "Slow Learner," almost as if the speed of an old-fashioned long-play record got cranked up on a turntable.
Edwards has some big names behind her in her career, including former pop singer/songwriter Richard Marx and N'Sync's
Lance Bass serving as her personal manager. That kind of musical talent can only mean that the talent of
Meredith Edwards will continue to blossom. ~ Rick Cohoon