earCandy: Melanie Durrant - Where I'm Goin' (2005) 4/5

I first noticed Melanie Durrant upon seeing the video for "Where I'm Goin'" featuring Common on MuchVibe, and I immediately sought out a copy of the single to no avail. Further searching led me to great tunes like "Housework" and a couple of singles. Well finally, while walking through FutureShop of all places, I see an album entitled "Where I'm Goin'" by Melanie Durrant on their New Releases rack. Strangely enough, the album that I got (contrary to the listing) does not contain the song "Where I'm Goin'"(?)

Melanie Durrant is a talented soul/hip-hop singer working out of Toronto. In addition to the video with Common, she's also paired up with Kardinal Offishall and others to good effect (e.g. "Let Me" is a great single). I really liked a few of the later songs on the album immediately, but I found it got off to a tentative start. After a few listens, however, it has really grown on me (her cover of "Bang Bang", probably best known now for being in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill", is getting some airplay). Some nice forays into a little more classic joints in places (sort of like a young Jill Scott, who did the live stage production of "Rent" with Ms. Durrant), and I just love the timbre of her voice.

However, I do have to say that it's sinful that there isn't more information available about her online. Her website will hopefully be up some time soon, there is almost no information under her entry in AllMusic.com - all I've found is just a few articles here and there. It's shameful that such a promising young voice doesn't have much more exposure on this level.

In any case, Where I'm Goin' is a good album and I'm happy to be seeing so many on the Canadian hip-hop scene cracking their way through (e.g. Universal Soul, Sweatshop Union, and K-Os is bustin' it!).