Melanie Fiona and The Bridge

I gotta say I saw her for the first time on MTVJams as her music video for single Give It To Me Right was playing and thought she had a powerful voice, something different than what you normally hear from today's female performers. Didn't think much else until a friend told me to download her mixtape which she collaborated on with none other than The Roots'

?uestlove. What was produced are live loungey feeling acoustic versions of album cuts and covers. If ever anything was titled a jam session this would be it with a live sound being incorporated into every track. The mixtape even goes a step further with ?uestlove and Melanie Fiona doing interview segments in between each track which allows you to get to know the artist more intimately and hear her speak of some of her musical background and experiences.

Listening to the mixtape what I found was an artist who effortlessly covered recent hits such as Kanye West's

Heartless, and her own Ay Yo, but also a classic such as Monday Morning. Her interpretations of these songs may lead you to forget who the original versions were performed by or what they sounded like.

I did a little more digging after giving this mixtape a solid listen and found that critics unanimously feel she has a track record of producing music that blends genres such as pop and soul in a way that captivates her listener, and forces you to recognize her singing ability and credit her with a distinct and talented voice.

It's refreshing to find and hear an artist who not only believes that their music is a direct reflection of them, but you feel it in the words sung by them. She has been quoted as saying, "Putting out my first project will be an experience that will never happen again...I'll never be a new artist again." You feel that she has one shot at a solid first impression of her music. Her debut is titled The Bridge because it "crosses the barriers between ethnicities, genres, age groups, and genders. It can't be defined as one thing. It's got a soul that's something old, yet something new." If you want a preview of what this young lady has to offer until her debut hits stores download her mixtape Melanie Fiona meets the Illadelphonics. You won't be disappointed.

The Track List

1. Give It To Me Right (ILLADELPHONICS Live Remix)
2. Melanie Fiona & ?uestlove Part 1
3. Ay Yo (ILLADELPHONICS Live Remix)
4. Melanie Fiona & ?uestlove Part 2
5. Heartless (ILLADELPHONICS Live Remix)
6. Melanie Fiona & ?uestlove Part 3
7. Monday Morning (ILLADELPHONICS Live Remix)
8. Melanie Fiona & ?uestlove Part 4
9. Somebody Come Get Me (ILLADELPHONICS Live Remix)
10. Melanie Fiona & ?uestlove Part 5
11. Cupid (ILLADELPHONICS Live Remix)
12. Melanie Fiona Medley by ?uestlove