Went to my mailbox the other day and was surprised to see a press kit from one of my favorite “finds”.
A few years back I had stumbled across a lovely singer named Tey Punsalan who blew me away with her great voice and jaw dropping beauty. I became a fan right away and was convinced this was a star just ready to blossom.
But the American music industry is extremely fickle. Think of how many stars were just a bit of ahead of thier time. While we can embrace white and black artists,other equally talented artists who don’t quite fit in or linger just outside of the mainstream simply don’t get the chance to shine.
Let me be quite plain here….I have been in the music business for 20 years,12 as a talent buyer,8 as a music journalist. I have seen acts come and go,flashes in the pan,one hit wonders,cookie cutters deluxe.
Tey Punsalan should be a major star. Its a real damn shame she is not,while we get crap like American Idol and other cookie cutter crap,a real talent who can do it all…..pop,dance,ballads and write her own songs struggles to be heard. She is one of the hardest working artists I have met.
Now Tey has a new CD out called “On MyWay To Me”. Starting with the amazing and ironic cover of Tey standing to power lines,one this album,Tey decides to strip her sound to sparse acoustics. The goal is to showcase both Tey’s vocals and songwriting. Add in some tasty covers and you have a beautifully sounding effort.
The title track,a young woman’s brave choice to live her life her way is a strong way to start the album.
On “I Wonder” a ballad about commitment features some nice quirky guitar changes by Tey. The hook is very gentle and alluring.
“Sex on the Beach” might have worked a bit better as a dance number but still works as a slow jam. The vocals are clean and sexy in an adult way. You don’t hear this very often in today’s music no matter what the genre is.
The other six songs includes a sultry cover of George Michael’s “Faith”.
Tey wrote or co-wrote 6 of the 10 songs on this CD,showcasing her feel for songwriting.
You really should yourself a favor and order this CD and take a chance on one hell of a talented young lady.
One of the best albums of the year.
