Jem Sparkles On Her Debut Album

Jem

Finally Woken

2004
ATO Records

After spending time behind-the-scenes, sharing songwriting credit on a track off Madonna's American Life album, and releasing an EP (It All Starts Here...), Welsh darling Jem finally released her full-length debut.

On Finally Woken, she deftly samples on a number of tracks, and throws in beats and even crunching guitars on the racy "24." Her soft, warm voice can be seductive (on the alluring "Come On Closer"), mournful (on the heartfelt good-bye song, "Missing You"), and even a little haunting (on the cool, trip-hoppy "They"--which also contains nonsensical children voice clips).

All this creates somewhat of a nice, vintage feel to the album. The set closes with the warm, acoustic “Flying High,” which is a nice way to wrap up this gem.

Track Pick: "They"
Rating: A-