Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Having already worked her tail off trying to ‘make it’ in the industry, Melissa Ivey can move past those late nights of burning CDs, lousy open mikes, and opening up for some no-name local act in some no-name town. Her music is firmly pressed into golden radio-friendly pop-rock with a singer/songwriter format well in hand. Distinctly familiar vocals coax out harmonies that are often out of the range of lesser vocalists. Nicely written songs round out the complementary assets that this young and budding female artist has on tap.
- J-Sin - Smother.net
The title track of powerhouse Melissa Ivey's new EP is getting a lot of airplay in her home state of Colorado. It's a fine pop tune that suggests a younger Sheryl Crow combined with a smarter Avril Lavigne. But I like the first of the two collaborations with The Knack's Berton Averre even more: though it adheres less closely to pop conventions, "Eye on the Door" fits Ivey's sultry voice like a wet, torn t-shirt. Her voice, and the CD's smoky production, polishes the dark cores at the songs' hearts, digging deeper into the soul than one expects from such a young singer.
The dramatic climax of the other Averre co-write, "Everywhere and Nowhere," comes as an almost Bowie-esque crescendo, while the fun, punked-out "Far Away" owes more to the riot grrl bands. On the evidence of this limited sample, Ivey has a touch that makes whatever she tries work for her, including the sophisticated folk-pop closer, "No Ties To Break," whose gorgeous little melody grabs on and won't let go. Ivey is a big talent we should be hearing a lot more from soon.
- Blogcritics.org
"Lovers and Stars" owns me (check it out at myspace.com/melissaivey). I can't stop playing it. Although I've always dug Ivey, this delicious pop ditty hits a sweet spot with me like no recording since the Fray's early demos. It's a quantum leap beyond anything she's produced before." - Dave Herrera - Westword
full article here :
http://www.westword.com/Issues/2006-04-13/music/beatdown.html - Westword Magazine
"Ivey is a major talent who's been a well-kept secret on the open-mike circuit, where she cut her teeth. Like Melissa Ethridge channeling Janis Joplin or Joan Jett invoking Suzy Quatro, she has a voice that's matched only by her riveting presence." - Dave Herrera - Westword
full article at :
http://www.westword.com/Issues/2005-02-10/music/beatdown.html - Westword Magazine
POISON IVEY: "Renowned nationwide for her self-sustaining business sense, infectious personality, and killer live performances, Ivey won the Denver Westword Showcase singer/songwriter award in 2005.
- Rebecca Riley - Santa Barbara Independent
Melissa Ivey. The 22-year-old Denver singer-songwriter is touring with her band behind a new EP. Ivey was named best singer-songwriter by Denver alt-weekly Westword. Not only is she easy on the eyes, but her songs are easy on the ears - not easy listening, mind you - but well crafted in the vein of Liz Phair or Ani DiFranco. The all-ages show is at 7 p.m. May 20, with openers Lacy Mattison and Coles Whalen.
- Jason Kellner - Reno Gazette Journal
Discography
album - From the Inside Out (2005)
EP - Lovers and Stars (2006)
single - Lovers and Stars (2006)
single - Far Far Away (2006)
single - Everywhere & Nowhere (2006)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
It's the voice.
Yes, there are also her Latina good looks, a Mick Jagger command of the stage, and just-turned-23 streetwise energy, but it's the Melissa Ivey voice that is particularly memorable: sultry, self-assured, upbeat, seductive.
She got her start in music at nine when a musician came to her school and inspired her to take violin lessons. "Music became my release. We were always moving. Music was a constant in my life." At 13 she picked up her mother's bass guitar and taught herself to play. At 14, it was the electric guitar. "I was grounded for most of two years, so I had a lot of time to learn how to play." By 15, on one of her infrequent school visits ("I spent more time leaving school than in it."), she stumbled across a pick-up band practicing in a storage room. They formed Manic Notion, a punk band based in San Jose. Then in 2002, at age 19, she moved to Denver and her did her share of solo acoustic gigs.
February 2006 - After a year of touring and nonstop songwriting, Melissa chose 5 songs to record. Ivey and her band, The Gentlemen, found themselves at the legendary Blasting Room in Ft. Collins. Owner Bill Stevenson squeezed the band in between sessions for a week long, intensive recording session with producer Chris Jak and engineer Andrew Berlin. Lovers and Stars, co-written with Chris Jak, is the first single being released in a series of single-release parties.
It's already getting airplay. Denver's classic rock station, KQMT (99.5 FM The Mountain) debuted "Lovers & Stars" on Jake Schroeder's Mountain Homegrown hour to rave reviews. KTCL (93.3 FM) soon followed suite, local DJ Alf also heard the magic and included the track on his weekly show. Dave Herrera's (music editor -Westword magazine) local Beatdown dedicated an entire article to Melissa and the song. To quote Dave "this delicious pop ditty hits a sweet spot with me like no recording since the Fray's early demos. It's a quantum leap beyond anything she's produced before - a track that evokes Mary Lou Lord as much as it does Sheryl Crow -- Ivey's most polished effort to date."
Ivey was named best singer/songwriter 2005 by Westword, Colorado's major alt-weekly, and again in 2006 she won the award for best singer/songwriter.
Set to release her EP, "Lovers & Stars" in August.
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