Carly Hennessy
Ultimate High
MCA
Growing up on Madonna, Diana Ross, and Whitney Houston helped young Carly Hennessy form her voice without the aide of a coach. She was playing Little Cosette in Les Miserables by age nine, modeling by twelve, signing contracts by fifteen, and at seventeen, she’s released her debut album, Ultimate High. Filled with age defying soul and talent, with words (some of which Carly is responsible for) that pull you in and keep you there, wondering how someone not yet out of high school can sing with such desire and knowing. She looks like a more glamourous Joan Osbourne and sounds like Nina Persson from The Cardigans. Ultimate High will appeal to fans of Jewel, Natalie Merchant and Dido. Don’t miss the jazzy “Surface Wounds” (“When you got your hands on your navel and your thoughts are pure/So don’t go running back to that womb daddy/It’s just a surface wound”), the first single, “I’m Gonna Blow Your Mind” (“I really really/I really really wanna kiss you/But much more than that…/Boy I’m gonna blow your mind”), and the sadly romantic “Just Missed the Train.” A few of the tracks on Ultimate High slip into a spicy alternative country swing, but it’s never lasting, and in general, considering that the voice is that of a seventeen year old, it’s a well thought out and interesting album full of songs that showcase Hennessy’s talent perfectly.
MCA Records: http://www.mcarecords.com • Carly Hennessy: http://www.carlyhennessy.com