Indulge me for a moment as I take a very quick jaunt into my music-listening history. The first time I heard of Metallica was soon after the release of their third album -- one considered a masterpiece by true fans. I managed to pick up their earlier CDs and was amazed at how young their voices sounded, could hear the talent of their music ability, but it still sounded a bit off. The lyrics were okay, but they hadn't found their voice just yet. My first exposure to U2 was The Joshua Tree, and when I picked up some of their earlier music, I could say the exact same thing.

The reason I bring up these two very odd examples in a review of an artist whose music would best be served on a country station is that I feel that people will say the exact same thing about Burgandy Brown when she's released her third or fourth album.

It's not that My Lucky 13 is a bad album. In fact, the music is very good. Ballads such as "Eastern Plains" and "Risk" show a softer side to the edgy cowgirl who will drink you under the table described by "Lady Like." But I almost feel like I'm listening to someone practice -- trying out different takes, with her hand outstrectched and a smile on her face that says "Just give me a moment, I almost have it." Burgandy has a voice that's easy to listen to -- a little bit of a rock growl when she wants to get down and dirty, and a soothing tone when she wants to bring things back down. Her backing band does a good job of mixing her influences of rock, country and pop. The lyrics she and guitarist Bryan Dennis write show a great deal of promise.

Brown is currently attending college, performing local gigs, doing charity work and working two part-time jobs -- all of which I applaud her for. When she's able to concentrate solely on her music, I expect she'll find the voice the other acts I mentioned found and truly do something amazing. If you'd like to hear an up-and-coming artist who I imagine will have a trophycase full of awards in her future, I'd definitely recommend this album. While it's nice to join in the fun when the album's gone triple platinum, sometimes it's even more fun to catch those stars on the way up. And Brown's star is assuredly on the rise.

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