Music
Press
"The title tune to Brett's disc debut showcases a sultry, soulful vocalist who begins in a husky alto then soars upward into a fiery crescendo. Outstanding, throbbing electric guitar and a sizzling rhythm section are hallmarks of the track. The hooky songwriting, expert production and dynamite singing mark this gal as a triple threat pop/rocker. She works as a demo singer on Music Row. This set argues that she is capable of much, much more." - Music Row Magazine
"Though Brett doesn't shy away from opening up her mouth wide to let out a great, quivering note, each of the 12 songs on her album reveal a host of insecurities, worries and heartbreaks. Penning each of the ballad-y, heartfelt songs herself, she also plays piano and acoustic guitar on the album - to be expected, we suppose, from a woman who was named after the sweetest of Allman Brothers songs."
- Knoxville Metro Pulse
"The pick of the bunch are "Pretty Caroline", a particularly beautiful effort, although it does takes time to grow on you, and "Exposed" which perfectly highlights Melissa's blend of pop sounding Americana. If Melissa has any more material of the caliber displayed in this album up her sleeve, then she should shake it out immediately and get back to the recording studio."
- www.bluesbunny.com
"Exposed reflects the range of influences that shaped Melissa's singing and songwriting and represents her artistry as a singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter."
- Tennessee Performing Arts Center
"Emerging from the heart of the country music capital, Brett produces emotionally charged, harmonious tales of love, lust and loss, hope and life’s realism. She brings to her music a sense of trueness. Her songs tell a story that has meaning, which in turn gives her a real voice separate from the shallow, at times, contrived push other aspiring talent produces."
- The Verde Independent
Discography
The Butterfly Ball - 2009
Exposed - 2005
Exposed and Easy played on local radio in Knoxville (WKZX 93.5 FM) and Radio Free Nashville
Photos
Bio
"The Effect, it speaks of winds that shift, of mighty ocean symphonies / All because of one small thing…"
The butterfly effect, also known as the chaos theory, hypothesizes that something as small as the flap of a butterfly's wing can cause significant changes in the earth's atmosphere and the absence of such can alter history.
This premise is not lost on Melissa Brett, whose latest release, the 10-track self-penned "The Butterfly Ball," applies this simple theory to the more complicated subject of love.
The opening title track illustrates with refreshing optimism that something seemingly innocuous can make a lasting mark on another person and even the world. From there, much like the magnificent creature which it attributes, "The Butterfly Ball," goes through the musical metamorphosis of the life of a relationship - the innocent beginning ("High," "A Love We Won't Forget"), finding balance ("Candy Morning June"), loss and disappointment ("Better to Love and Lose," "The Trouble with Fate"), hope for something better ("Above this Fallen Sky"), and, for the truly fortunate, coming out irreversibly changed ("My Journey Home").
"Recently I gained a much deeper understanding of the whole love thing," the singer-songwriter says. "The record ended up documenting the entire evolution of that experience, some of it planned, some not. It focuses on the struggles and freedoms of the heart…and of life in general."
Melissa's life has always been centered on music. As a child, she would assemble musical productions in her backyard for a small audience of her parents and other family and friends. With maturity came broadened horizons, leading Melissa to perform in regional musical theater, classical training at Auburn and the University of Tennessee, and later teaching music to all ages.
In 2000, Melissa made the move to Nashville where she worked as a demo singer on Music Row and polished her songwriting and performing skills at some of Music City's most famous venues, including the Bluebird Café and the Wildhorse Saloon. She appeared as a guest on Nashville's segment of the national showcase "Chick Singer Night," and opened for mainstays like Montgomery Gentry and Marvin Hamlish.
Melissa released her self-produced debut album "Exposed" in 2005, garnering positive reviews from respected Music Row critic Robert K. Oermann and Paige Travis of Knoxville's popular entertainment publication Metro Pulse.
With her sophomore effort, produced by Melissa and Dex Green (Collective Soul, Rebecca Lynn Howard), "The Butterfly Ball" cuts through typical mellow, girl-with-a-guitar Americana to establish Melissa as a progressive pop/rock force on the independent Nashville music scene.
And like the butterfly effect asserts, even a small force is sometimes all it takes.
"At the Butterfly Ball with a pair of wings you, you can never ever fall / Come on baby take your chance / Everybody gets to dance."
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