Review Summary: One of those debuts where you can immediately spot the strengths, in this case, Lucia's vocals and her songwriting.
It is often quite hard to judge an artist by their debut, particularly if it is a five-song EP. You have to take a hard listen to what they really have to offer. Yet, at other times, even that early on, you are offered a whole musical package or an element that is so striking that you cannot overlook it. Luckily, with the Brooklyn singer/songwriter Theresa Lucia and her debut EP Boxes, it is the latter.
Lucia is still splitting her time between music life in Brooklyn and working at her family beach-side restaurant in Florida. Hopefully, she will soon be able to devote more time to the music. You see, there are two elements that immediately strike you with Lucia and the music she presents here. The first thing you notice is her quite specific voice, somewhere between Victoria Williams and Norah Jones, a very interesting, mellifluous cross.
Her vocals are the best possible glue for some quite detailed songwriting and arrangements, that go beyond something that falls within the ‘standard’ singer/songwriter fare. This is particularly evident on the title track and “The Text.” Nothing to demean other songs on the EP, particularly the bluesy “The Pacifier,” a song that can fit neatly along any of the Larkin Poe material. Lyrically, Lucia covers the ground between family, equality, heartbreak, and the healing powers of life in the big city. Nothing earth-shattering, but nothing to be ashamed of either.
Still, Lucia’s voice and her songwriting, coupled with excellent backing and production specifically set to expose her best qualities, make her Boxes EP quite an exceptional ditty that signals that some more excellent music can be expected from her further on.
