Adrina Thorpe, Elusive, CD Review

I'm a sucker for great, imagery-laden lyrics, and Adrina Thorpe does not disappoint in her CD, Elusive. "Amid a blue petal sky, roses, daisies spinning inside my mind," Thorpe softly sings during the opening track, "Fly." Her voice has the sweetness and purity of an innocent child but possesses all of the maturity and soul of a star.

Thorpe proves herself to be an accomplished songwriter, pianist and vocalist on this release. She offers the listener a nice selection of fast and slow cuts, which blend together almost perfectly. Her peaceful and at times pleasantly haunting piano ballads such as "Correction" give Thorpe a more intimate canvas to paint her colorful lyrics upon. They also allow the listener to capture the subtle nuances of her fantastic voice. In fact, it was either tonight's cold winter weather or Thorpe's emotional delivery on "Wistful" that literally gave me chills. I’m thinking it was the latter.

Though I do like the intimacy of the ballads, what I really like about this album is that it also has a lot of rhythmic backbone complete with full band production. Thorpe still manages to keep an intimate ballad-like feel on most of the upbeat tunes, which contributes very well to the album's consistency. "Never Meant," stands out a bit more than the rest, which kicks off with a very danceable, radio-friendly groove right from the start. Though it may be a bit over-produced rhythmically in comparison with the other tunes, I would not be surprised to hear this song in a movie or on the radio very soon.

The highlight and closing tune of this collection is, "Did You Think." The melody played on the piano and doubled with the vocals is moving. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Thorpe's vocals grab you by the heartstrings with lyrics that are certainly drawn from personal experiences. That's what makes Thorpe a great songwriter, and that's what makes this a great, highly recommended album. 

Artist Website: www.adrinathorpe.com

Review By: ListenersGeneration.com