Meant To Be / Cherry Pie Productions / Producer: Quinn Johnon / Score: 8 out of 10
Lauren White launches her indie recording career with a colorful resume behind her, including shows on and off Broadway, acting on soaps and working for years as a popular cabaret performer. With her powerhouse range, it would be easy to approach this eclectic mix of material from the worlds of pop, bossa nova, showtunes, jazz and Great American Songbook with great theatricality, but instead White offers an intimate invitation, letting the beauty of her voice go inside the lyrics to share emotions in a more subtle way. Beyond offering fresh interpretations of colorful tunes from Ivan Lins, Carole King, Susan Werner, et al., she may just inspire listeners to embark on a whimsical musical discovery tour of their own. –Jonathan Widran
