Meet Chelsea Field, the first signee from a new label called Moxy Records. (By coincidence, she and I both happen to share names with film stars) Does Chelsea have the vocal chops to match her good looks?
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She most certainly does. Her vocal delivery on "Things I Should've Said" is full of spunk and power, and it even gets slightly overwhelming at times. Still, I have to give her credit for fully throwing herself into her performance instead of coasting along with the melody and production.
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To Chelsea's credit, her debut single boasts a strong set of lyrics. The song is about a woman who regrets using hurtful words with her lover. It contains a clever hook ("The things I should've said keep playin' in my head like a radio") and a powerful line at the end of the chorus ("I think I probably told you everything/ Except for the things I should've said"). Lines in the verses such as "Baby I'm sorry/ I don't want to fight" and "I'm just bein' stubborn/ And I don't need to be" are not particularly poetic, but they are straightforward and honest, and the song still makes its point.
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On the down side, the lyrics are weighed down by cluttered production. The fiddles and banjos sound great, but the drumming is overdone, and the loud guitar riffs are out of character with the song's lyrics. Even though the song has decent lyrics, the song's poor production reduces it to the same level as all the rest of the over-polished pop-country that we hear on the radio.
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However, this single still has positive traits that should not be overlooked, and Chelsea still has potential to be a great artist. She is a diamond in the rough - all she needs is a little bit of polishing.
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CHELSEA'S SCORE: 6
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)
