Alice Peacock - Who I Am

Genre rock Publisher Universal Records External Links Official Alice Peacock Webiste Official Universal Music Website

Alice Peacock strikes the listener as friendly and familiar. And after listening to her self-released record Who I Am, that's part of the problem.

Though the album is self-released, it was no surprise to learn that Universal Records helped to distribute it. There is little in Peacock's style that would dictate that her music is intended for a limited audience. After all, her piano-based, singer-songwriter style would indicate that she listened to Carole King's , another album that has received mass consumption, an awful lot.

Like King, Peacock puts the piano front and center in her arrangements, but she is never as flashy or quirky like Tori Amos. Peacock's more inclined to add subtle string or horn arrangements, perhaps that makes her more akin to Vonda Shepard.

Peacock layers pretty vocals on top of the digestible, piano-led melodies, unfortunately she sounds pretty even keeled when she should sound mad or vengeful or sad. For example, in "Anyone But Me," she is singing about how she doesn't regret breaking up with her old boyfriend. It's a kiss-off song, but she sounds no different than on the upbeat numbers. On "Love," she sings, "Love's gonna bring you down," but she declines to be specific as to how.

A lot of the lyrics are also larded with clichés. On "Finding My Way," she sings "Remember when we were young and brave." On "I'm Still Here," she sings, "You can listen to your heart or give in to your pride." The generic wistfulness of "Only a Memory" also sounds too familiar lyrically.

The vocal tics employed by Peacock would seem dedicated to the "American Idol" crowd's definition of restrained soul. It's all professional and pleasant, but if Peacock wants to spread her feathers and show her true colors, a little more edginess would be recommended.