This was the first U.S. release from New Zealander
Sonny Southon, and it shows promise. Unfortunately, for all the promise she shows on this album, in writing and performance, nothing on it ever quite clicks into place. She seems to have been influenced by everyone from
Kate Bush (whose vocal inflections are stamped into the anti-racism "Two Worlds") to
Joni Mitchell. Musically, she pulls almost the same stunt, ranging from smooth pop ballad to R&B wallop via gospel-flavored a cappella. The major problem seems to be a certain blandness in the writing and arrangements, and a hectoring quality to the lyrics -- she depends on insistent repetition in verse and chorus. Once in a while this almost works; "So Proudly" has a punch most of the other tracks lack in its message about children born handicapped, mixes that with a terrific backing track, and an emphatic performance from
Southon, who drops her voice to a smoky low. Unfortunately, it manages to go awry halfway through as she wanders off the path rather severely. Overall, for
Southon to achieve any lasting success, she needed to do some work on the promise she showed, and get it together completely. Unfortunately, this appears not to have happened.