Upon the first glance, it could be easy to dismiss
Lila McCann
's debut album,
Lila
, as a byproduct of
LeAnn Rimes
' astounding success -- after all, there couldn't be two talented teenage female vocalists arriving within a year of each other. However, upon further investigation,
McCann
reveals herself as a promising singer in her own right -- arguably one with more potential than
Rimes
.
has a pure, pretty voice that can simply soar, as the hit single
"Down Came a Blackbird"
proves. At this stage, she hasn't reached artistic maturity, and she frequently has trouble delivering songs with subtlety, yet there's a passion to her singing that makes this point a minor one. Musically,
may stray a little too close to
adult contemporary
for some tastes (a
Sheena Easton
cover --
"Almost Over You"
-- wasn't a great choice), but there's enough spirit and conviction in
's performances to make her rank as a contender. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine