Believe

One listen to ”Highly Strung,” an instrumental on which this fully formed 24-year-old guitar goddess evokes ax murderers from Angus Young to Eddie Van Halen to Jeff Beck, and you’ll know why Michael Jackson tapped her to be in his This Is It band. She’s hot stuff, all right, but even the nimblest six-string warrior knows that flashy instrumentals do not hit albums make. Hence, the bulk of her debut, Believe, is filled with appealingly cheesy pop-metal that’s catchy and obvious enough to make Avril Lavigne wish she’d gotten there first. We find ourselves believing, albeit cautiously. B

DOWNLOAD THIS: ”According to You”

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