Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Ingrid Andress, Warner Nashville, 2010.
Ingrid Andress is a Colorado based singer/songwriter and this eight-track album is her debut.
The first single from the album, More Hearts Than Mine, came in at #59 on the Billboard Country Music singles chart and the album reached a commendable high of #9 in US Country album charts.
Initial impressions of Lady Like are positive.
Ingrid has a good voice and her songs are engaging.
Ingrid’s path into music was via school choirs and two a cappella groups called Pitch Slapped and Delilah, which performed in American TV talent shows.
This experience is notable in her vocal presentation which is highly accomplished.
She has considerable control and can vary her singing from breathy to powerful depending on the song requirements.
She cites the Dixie Chicks among her influences and I could hear their sound, especially in the more up-tempo tracks.
Then again I might only be hearing the Nashville sound which is particularly prevalent these days.
Ingrid’s main instruments, other than voice, are piano and drums – and the piano is prominent in the song structures.
Songs often vary depending upon the instrument that they are written on.
So, for instance, Elton John or Billy Joel’s songs have different feels and structures to say the songs of The Who’s Pete Townshend.
Before striking out on her solo career, Ingrid was writing songs via a publishing deal through Arthouse/UMPG and some of her songs have been recorded by artists such as Charli XCX, Alicia Keys, Sam Hunt, and Fletcher.
It was her songwriting that initially brought her to the attention of the Warner Nashville executives and to me that is the strength of Lady Like.
The songs are well-constructed and the lyrical content is intimate and intelligent.
I suspect that we are going to hear a lot more from Ingrid Andress.
