Alisa Boniello - Lovestruck

Alisa Boniello –Lovestruck
2012, Alisa BeeAlisa Boniello has grown as an artist for two inherentreasons:  1.) a wealth of talent, and,2.) An admirable work ethic.  Shortlyafter finishing college, Boniello collaborated with Grammy winning producer andsongwriter Barry Eastmond (Freddie Jackson, Whitney Houston, Billy Ocean, BritneySpears) to write four songs for what would eventually become her debut EP, Lovestruck.  With an additional songwriting assist fromWendell Hanes (Mya, Brand Nubians, Cheri Dennis), Boniello settles into acomfortable groove as she unfolds her talents across Lovestruck.  Boniello kicks things off with “Lovestruck”, a funky anddanceable bit of pop music that’s a bit too organic sounding to be bubblegum,but shares the same, feel-good vibe. Boniello shows off a capable voice in a number with real commercialradio potential.  “That Kind Of Girl” hassome good things going for it, but unlike “Lovestruck” is too thoroughly overproduced.  The mix is bad, with amismatch of levels between vocals and background, and a compressed dynamicrange that sounds amateurish.  “(WhenWill) Love Feel Real” finds Boniello backing down the electronic scale a bit,with ore of a classic pop vibe.  Thisnouveau girl group pop sound fits Boniello’s voice well.  Lovestruckmakes its way into the sunset with the sorrowful ballad “Why”, rung from thedeep hours of the night when insecurities and loneliness come to the fore,particularly in the wake of a relationship. The lyrical content here is a bit stilted, but there’s a nice melodicpop sensibility to the song.Alisa Boniello has an accessible voice and likeable presenceon recorded media.  Lovestruck is a solid introduction to an artist with realpotential, but who is still finding a sound and style she is comfortablewith.  You can hear Boniello strugglingbetween the overly-manicured electro-pop that is most commercially viable andthe classic op sound that she wears so well on Lovestruck, while also slipping into a singer/songwriter oeuvrethat she’s still growing into.  Bonielloshould be making viable music for some time to come; where she goes with itwill take time to see.  For now, Lovestruck is a good start.Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)Learn more at www.alisaboniello.com.