Cheryl Bliss has a way of pulling you into her music with her voice, piano and lyrics. Her brand new 10-song release is a mix of pop, soft rock and very soulful music. 

It is Cheryl's voice, which has been compared to that of Kate Bush, which really captures your attention, however. It's a pretty soprano that can soar to the high notes easily and at times sounds delicate and fragile as on the easy pop groove of the title track.


But on the very next tune, the hauntingly beautiful and swirling "All I Was With You" she offers you a seductive raspy whisper. 

Instrumentally, this could go either commercial pop or into that hard-to-classify stuff one finds on public radio. It has nice piano (played by Cheryl), screaming electric guitar (Jamie Kime), a big name artist (guitarist Phil Keaggy), great grooves (compliments of the rhythm section of Steve Martz, Danny Reyes, Chris de Jesus and Tracy Ferry) and beautiful backup vocals from Sandy Brent and Ann Bailey.

The overall best tune would probably be "Fresh Water" because it's there that the keyboard playing and Cheryl's vocals are their most gorgeous. 

To go along with the sometimes mystical, seductive and haunting atmosphere, the lyrics are equally well done. Oddly enough, however, the best phrasing comes on the CD's least pleasant tune "Trust" with it's banshee guitar, odd vocal effects, quick-change beat and strange sounding melody. But those words!

"If you wait til the pieces fall into place 
if you wait til you've found your own way to grace
If you wait til you're locked in a warm embrace
You'll never learn to trust...
If you wait til your passion has come alive
If you wait til you're strong enough to survive
If you wait til you lie in a box of pine
You'll never learn to trust." 

Overall, this is one cool CD. The great vocals, general instrumentation and lyrics are real attention-grabbers. This one is a keeper. Look for more from this talented woman. 

--Les Reynolds, Indie-Music.com