You'd probably go broke if you rushed out and purchased every CD I've been giving four stars lately. I just figure since I only write about a couple of them a month, I might as well scout out something interesting and good, that you may've never heard anything about otherwise. It's not like I stray that far off the beaten path--I'm talking about bands like Semisonic, Fastball, Supergrass --if I accomplish nothing else in this lifetime besides preventing you from purchasing Savage Garden, I will not have lived in vain. I'm willing to let the Backstreet Boys slide, but Savage Garden? There can be no forgiveness for that.

The point of this preamble is that I'm almost invariably going to give high marks to the albums I choose, because there wouldn't be much point in bringing your attention to something that sucks. And Angelique's debut release "Present" definitely falls under the heading of records that don't suck. This is cool stuff--if you were to draw lines between Sheryl Crow, Beck and Garbage, Angelique would fall very close to where these lines intersect. Although, you wouldn't guess this by your first impression, the comparison to Sheryl Crow is the closest. Though alot of the songs begin with programmed rhythm tracks that sound like dance/club music, (which was Angelique's former forte), soon acoustic guitars and accessible pop tunes emerge and prove Angelique to be an exciting new lyricist and tunesmith. Song for song I think Present is stronger than either of Sheryl Crow's records. (But stranded on a desert island--I'm going with Sheryl. After all, she plays the accordion--and it takes a real woman just to bear up under the weight of one of those babies).

Angelique's vocal style is similar to Poe and Shirley Manson of Garbage, but her melody structures are refreshingly unique. And Present comes in many different colored boxes, it's a mixed bag--she even dabbles in some Latin flavored stuff that smacks of "Girl From Ipanema." Several of her songs you'll like right off the bat and just as importantly, there are as many that you don't appreciate until you've listened to it a few times. This album should appeal as readily to fans of more mainstream stuff like Shawn Colvin, to those who prefer the edgier territory of P.J. Harvey, Hole and Liz Phair. It's about all I'm listening to right now, and I keep liking it more and more.

The other CD that you really should spend your hard earned money on this month is the new Tripping Daisy, be sure to read all about it in our next issue. My advice to you as a frugal consumer is that if you're a girl, buy Angelique, if you're a guy, buy Tripping Daisy--and if you're not exactly sure what you are, buy Savage Garden.