Linzi Gold releases her debut album, Heroines of Futures Past, a classical/pop journey into the lives of women both fictional and historical.

I admit, I am not a huge fan of this album. There are so many things that detract from what could have been something a little bit more impressive.

On the positive side, on the first listen through I did get a Kate Bush vibe from the vocals ('Tilney' being the most obvious example), but I'm not sure whether this will mean that Bush fans will embrace her or not. Gold has a powerful musical theatre voice that over the course of this album's 11 songs (33 min, 47 sec) is put through its paces. The album acts like a demo tape for her musical range and it's a brave thing to do when it's obvious she's really pushing her vocals to areas above and beyond her comfort zone.

'Storyteller' for me was easily this album's highlight. It sounds like a powerful James Bond theme song, and Gold's vocals are perfect. Likewise 'Twisted Smile' (if you ignore the slight off key moment and the cheesy lyrics) is memorable.

In fact it was the lyrics that I probably had the biggest issue with on this recording. A lot of the songs just sound like someone's first pass and are a little cheesy a little too often. The whole thing has the feel one of those fantasy albums - normally made by Dungeons & Dragons fans from Norway. If you like this genre of music then you'll find much to enjoy here.

Gold's voice is good, but certainly nothing special and there are too many instances where her range just doesn't have the power to carry songs off - she's also badly out of tune quite a bit too. 'Trapped Behind The Glass' perfectly shows off everything that is wrong with the album. It sounds half finished and like a raw cut that needs the vocals tweaking a little.

It sounds like I'm being incredibly harsh, but I'm trying to be constructive. Gold does indeed have the makings of a star, it's just that she needs the right material and a little more spit and polish. I am, however, looking forward to seeing how she matures with her next (and I really hope there is a next) album.

6

Nick Smithson