Jen Elliott's aptly titled debut album The Secret's Out presents a powerful package. A lady who can really sing (her voice coach is an opera star), Elliott has the classy combination of belt and finesse to prove it. She's a girl who can write streetwise, intelligent, often challenging lyrics.

The album supplies a sound all her own, blending and blurring rock, pop and blues, flavoured with a dash of funk, a hint of jazz, and wrapped in an eminently listen-to-it-again-and-again selection of 12 songs, each one a stand-alone gem, contributing to a rich, high-quality album.

It bodes well for future releases. Jen Elliott will surely go far, her voice alone will take her places, but in this visual world, she also has looks to charm. This is a great "anytime" CD that I reluctantly removed from the player, and I will be listening hard for the next album.

- Rambles
written by Jenny Ivor
published 21 August 2004

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