"Don't Be Shy" is album number seven from Ginger Leigh. She's a performer who isn't short of opinions and who also isn't afraid to express them either. From a production point of view, this album rivals the mainstream yet still manages to pack an impressive punch.
Fans of Ms Leigh will recognise the confessional - and sometimes controversial - lyrical nature of the songs on this album. Perhaps the most notable change this time around is that Ms Leigh has become more confrontational and perhaps even overtly political with songs like "Dissected" carrying a message of relevance to both the gun toting and the gun fearing. At other times, such as the songs "Lover" she strays into Carly Simon/Libby Titus territory only with the cold glint of steel in her eyes.
One of Ms Leigh's best points is her lack of sentiment. There's nothing mushy here, nothing that even remotely resembles candy floss. Even though she is too much of a realist to have an unshakeable belief in the happily ever after, you still get the feeling that life has joy for her. She's also smart enough to know that the best route to success is to attract a wide audience or at least it would appear so from the urban radio appeal of "Best of Me" and the rather less successful remix of "Rain Down" tacked on to the end of the album. The best track was "Butterfly" because, well, it is just classic Ginger Leigh.
Available by worldwide mail order from CD Baby.