Melanie Fiona Breathes Soul Back into R&B

By: RAMONA E. ALCANTARA STAFF WRITER

Posted: 11/17/09

Singer/songwriter Melanie Fiona moves listeners over soulful waters on her debut album, "The Bridge".

The Canadian-born artist to Guyanese immigrant parents finds her own ground between artists Rihanna and Amy Winehouse by infusing upbeat pop with the reminiscent sounds of classic soul. Similar to Rihanna, Fiona was signed by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z to his label Roc Nation management and she's also signed to the label Universal Motown Records.

Her first single, "Give it to Me Right," kicks off the album sampling the 60s hit "Time of the Season" by The Zombies. In Fiona's song, she demands that her lover either, "Give it to me right/ Or don't give it to me at all." The song is the right amount of sexy without being overly suggestive.

Other songs where Fiona shows her take-charge attitude include "Ay Yo," "Bang Bang," "Walk on By" and the enjoyable "Monday Morning." The up-tempo song starts with eight handclaps, followed by Fiona singing, "Have you heard the news today? / I'm leaving town/ I'm cashing out." She's letting the man she loves know that, with or without him, she's leaving to follow her dreams. This song is probably one of the strongest tracks on the album because she's not drowning herself in her sorrows like in "It Kills Me," an R&B ballad where she's addressing her significant other about his infidelities, yet she knows that she honestly doesn't plan on leaving the relationship.

The Motown artist also channels former girl groups like the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes that helped create the Motown-sound. This is found on the tracks "Please Don't Go (Cry Baby)," "You Stop My Heart" and the most upbeat song on the album, "Johnny." It's easy to imaging Fiona singing lead with two or three other ladies singing background vocals with while wearing matching dresses and bouffant wigs.

The album closes with the ballad "Teach Him," a song that was also featured in the movie Obsessed starring Idris Elba and Beyonce Knowles that was released in theaters earlier this year. However, unlike Knowles or any female R&B artist out now, Fiona isn't trying to put rings on fingers nor is she walking red carpets wearing the most outrageous outfits with the hopes of having her picture splattered across magazines and blogs.

For Fiona's first effort, "The Bridge" is a good start at leaving a notable impression on the R&B world and will do the same for audiences that are tired of songs laced with auto-tune and robotic driven beats and are yearning for music that is soulful and pure.