Melissa Ferrick - Massive Blur (1993)

Melissa Ferrick's recording career was off to a fairly impressive start with her debut album, Massive Blur, which showed her to be a convincing, expressive pop/rock vocalist as well as a thoughtful and probing lyricist. When this CD came out, the singer/songwriter wasn't well known, but she had a small East Coast following that swore by her. Ferrick did all of the writing on this album, and she packs quite an emotional punch on such introspective originals as "Honest Eyes," "What Have I Got to Lose" and "Blue Sky Night." Ferrick is especially compelling on "Breaking Vows" and the dramatic title song, both of which deal with darker emotions. But the Boston resident isn't dark or moody on "Happy Song" and "The Meaning of Love," two songs that illustrate her ability to throw a bright, sunny hook our way. Ferrick showed a lot of promise on this album, but her best work was yet to come.