A Beginner's Guide to Music's Lost Leaders: Seattle Sweetheart

Some musicians are defined by where they come from. You can hear the city in their sound. A Fine Frenzy is such an act. I don't think anywhere in the world but Seattle could have come up with a sound such as hers. She is neither dance-y nor sexy. She is practically all sweetness and light. How often does music like that get popular in other parts of the country?

A Fine Frenzy is the stage name of Alison Sudol. She has to date released two cds, "One Cell in the Sea" and "Bomb in a Birdcage," both of which have an impressive amount of great songs. Normally I can easily list off the top three songs from an artist when they only have two cds, but with her I have a hard time coming up with the best three from each cd. I can tell you right now though that if I had to make you fall in love with her with only one song I would pick Almost Lover. That song, along with The Minnow & The Trout, Liar Liar, and You Picked Me are probably my favorites from "One Cell in the Sea." "Bomb in a Birdcage" is a little more difficult to pick favorites from because even though I don't find the individual songs quite as strong as her first, the cd is a bit stronger as a whole. I would recommend What I Wouldn't Do, Electric Twist, Blow Way, and Stood Up to start.

Alison Sudol is exactly the type of singer I would want to dress. She is not only gorgeous but also "cute." She is also a redhead (looooooooooooove) and does not move around on stage enough to really require a specific type of stage costume. When I think of dressing her the first thing that comes to mind is white chiffon. I would love to dress her in a mixture of modern and vintage romance. This means a lot of black and white, but can also include some colors- such as green, mustardy yellow, or purple which look fantastic on redheads. Romantic dresses with modern touches such as boots or layering are the direction I am thinking.

Alison