Posted on 08/19/2009
It is true when they say "don't judge a book by its cover." I looked at the cover of Anjulie's debut album and thought that perhaps it was some variation of the M.I.A. formula. Instead what I got was a nice pop and R&B blend, with a slight preference towards the pop side. Her music is good, but with years ahead of her she could be ready to dominate airwaves in the next decade.

Anjulie's voice immediately brings to mind the best elements of early Nelly Furtado, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Men In Black-era Alicia Keys, and Keri Hilson. You hear strength mixed in with lyrics that range from being humble and hopeful, to desire that will hopefully grow into something deeper. "Some Dumb Girl" could easily turn into wasteful tripe based on title alone if it wasn't for the songwriting and arrangement by Anjulie and Jon Levine, a song that would also sound really good if put in the hands of Maxwell, Sade, or Robin Thicke, complete with lush orchestration (albeit synthesized) and a horn section. But it takes four songs into the album, with "Addicted2me," for us to finally get to hear someone who is comfortable in her own voice, someone who isn't just in the studio to emulate what's on the radio, and that's when she truly begins to shine.

Anjulie’s voice is soft and delicate but not wispy, again the Keri Hilson comparison must be made because people hear the voice and automatically think all one will hear is weak-hearted songs. Anjulie takes her capabilities and limitations and turns them into something that works, courtesy of songs that hold up. What’s important as well is the substance of the songs, the kind of substance that made Amy Winehouse's Back To Black such a success, it was much more than an image, persona, hype, or the appeal of the person on the cover. Plus, it's nice to hear pop music that doesn't resort to the same lyrical formulas that have plagued a lot of mainstream music this decade. Anjulie may not be on the same musical level as Clara Hill, Stephanie McKay, or Erykah Badu, but let's come back in ten years and maybe she will become the example that the next wave of artists will follow.

-John Book