(updated 20 September 2004) California-girl now based in Texas, Francesca Lee, introduces her self-titled debut album (Blue Iris Records (USA), 2002) from a pop/alt rock perspective. This singer/songwriter comes from a musical background, with an accomplished guitarist father, and a folk singer-songwriter mother. Her own musical experiences have been diverse, having dabbled in electronic music, modern soul, folk and avant garde bands.

She also attended Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. During that time, she performed solo and in various bands, and eventually created her own label, Blue Iris Records. She recorded her debut album while living in Liverpool. The album was recorded at The George Martin Studio. Says Francesca, "A variety of musicians from all over the world performed on the album including musicians from Scotland, Finland, Canada, England and Luxemborg." She continued, "Since then I've been performing solo acoustic primarily." She provided Musical Discoveries an exclusive sample of this extremely promising alternative.

The album consists of eight tracks, each showcasing Francesca's amazing talents. It is driven by soulful harmonies, interspersed in this pop/folk grouping of songs. She opens with "Tricks," where the listener is drawn into the upbeat melody with her beautiful vocals. "I Never" changes beat with an edginess in tone. This talented songstress delivers the goods in "Light Falls" with her sensual lyrics and rocky musical interpretation.

Her tender side comes through in "Goodbye" and "Only Human" with its more lilting and intimate tone. Her vocal warmth has a purity that is uplifting in "Mystical Fact." All in all, Francesca's efforts have not gone unnoticed,with some of her songs being featured on radio stations and in media publications. Her music was also showcased on an MTV Network production for The Real World.

Francesca Lee brings home a welcome sound from this talented singer/songwriter. She has a message that she easily delivers with her striking songs and vocals. Francesca delivers a dynamic performance throughout. She's been working on additional material since this album was released in 2002. Our review of it will be added here soon!