She lays it all on the line from the beginning strains of the title cut, which demonstrates her ability with an uptempo number. She keeps up the energy on “Wouldn’t You Like To Know” and “Girl With A Rock & Roll Heart.” The swagger is very much in place on both songs, and the latter will provide a smile to anyone who grew up inspired by 80s sounds.
But, among these tracks, she especially shines on the ballads. I love her warmth on the live-and-learn message of “Learning As You Grow,” which she co-wrote. This one needs to be looked at as a possible single. She tries her hand at a couple of covers – “I Will Always Love You” and Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” succeeding at both, but delivering a knock-out punch to the latter. Granted, it would be a huge risk to release this at radio, but her vocal soars on this iconic track.
Matassa has been out there fighting the fight for a while now, but I think she is closer than she has ever been to kicking down a few doors in the business. All the ingredients are there, and I look forward to hearing more of her in 2013!
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