Lucia Seas – Keep The Drive Alive (CD)

Lucia Seas has had a productive 2008. In May, she released “Keep The Drive Alive”, and she ended the year with the single “The Best of Your Soul”. What exactly about this artist makes her one of the best up and coming artists out there, though? When one tunes in to the introductory track “Cash”, what they are introduced to is a world in which genre labels do not matter and where anything is possible. “Cash” is one of those tracks that stands up to repeated listening, and would do well on radio rotation. “Bettin’ On You” has a quirky approach that will remind listeners of a 4 Non Blondes, linking together alternative, pop, and even a little bit of gothic music in the creation of a unique sound for Lucia Seas that is present throughout the album.

“Upside Down” has a harder, more rock-oriented edge than “Bettin’ On You”, bringing another subset of listeners into the mix. Along with the rock approach, Lucia Seas ties in a little bit of funk and even early twentieth-century blues in the composition of the song, ensuring that listeners have not heard anything like it before. “Hello Someday” shifts gears considerably, bringing dance and disco into the mix. The vocals really act as the one element that connects all of the tracks on “Keep The Drive Alive”, and this is particularly noticeable during “Not Today”. “Not Today” is incredibly different from the immediately preceding track, bringing an eighties sound to it that is hard to further classify. However different Lucia Seas may get on this track, listeners will be able to identify the vocals as Lucia’s.

While the tracks were recorded at different points, the same type of cohesion can be heard during “The Best of Your Soul”. Slightly different in style from the bulk of tracks on “Keep The Drive Alive”, “The Best of Your Soul” has a driving beat that can be variously interpreted as a rock, dance or alternative approach. With yet another solid track under her belt, Lucia Seas is an individual that I will be keeping an eye on for 2009 and beyond. Purchase “Keep The Drive Alive” and the single of “The Best of Your Soul” and get in on the ground floor for the rapidly-carrying elevator that is Lucia Seas.

Top Tracks: Not Today, Hello Someday

Rating: 8.3/10

Lucia Seas – Keep The Drive Alive / 2008 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.luciaseas.com