“GREAT MOOD FOR A TUESDAY”: GREAT FOR ROCK FANS TODAY

Let’s get right to it: Felicia Finley rocks. The press release tells me Felicia Finley is a Broadway actor who wanted to make a record. The words immediately evoked images of a banal and forgettable side project like the others Broadway actors have been issuing for years. This is not that record.  And that’s good. Instead of the whimsical self-indulgence of an actor, “Great Mood for a Tuesday” is an exciting, catchy, credible rock album, that definitively brands Finley a “rock star who acts” instead of the all-too-common “actor who sings”.

“Great Mood for a Tuesday” is an experiment in diversity, filled with solid original songs that run the gamut of modern American music, ricocheting decade to decade without once sounding dated. Songs like the incendiary, adrenaline-fueled “Satin Soldiers” and the familiar “My House Tonight” fall somewhere between power pop and hard rock. But the catchy “Closing Time” and the doleful “Tired of Losing Sleep” are anthemic pop songs. The title track starts off torchy and timid, eventually climaxing with a near Pink Floyd psychedelic crescendo. The arena-style ballad “Stories” even flirts with urban country. The hook-laden album is eclectic and riffy.

Her elastic voice demonstrates a versatility we rarely see from an artist who can actually rock. Whether she’s the wrathful woman scorned in the album’s opener, “Satin Soldiers”, the playful lover in “My House Tonight” or the melancholy narrator in “Stories”, her vocal is masterful and touching. It is intensely rare to find a singer who demonstrates both Pat Benatar and Sarah McLachlan as influences. Though this is her first release, her team has the feel of a seasoned road band of rock veterans.  The arrangements and performances suggest a band that has toured together for years.

The album’s messages of self discovery and feminine tenacity walk the line of “grrrl power” without sending one to an Ipod in search of something more adult.  “Closing Time” expresses a very familiar sense of youthful longing:  “I feel him pressing, so I keep him guessing. Close your eyes and count your blessings.”  She sings passionately about “dodging bayonets” in the throws of a crumbling relationship. In “My House Tonight” her coy flirtations like “As he’s finding his way up the stairs, I’ll be biting just to let him know I care” make one envious of her fictional lover. When she later boasts “I’ll be falling, I’ll be weak in the knees. He’ll be stalling ‘cause he’ll never want to leave” I believe her. I feel sorry for the guy who burned her in “Satin Soldiers” when she defiantly reminds him: “There’s a hot house to dowse by the end of act three. Up on the screen I know you’ll see me dancing on the top of your grave.”  Ouch.

The most significant criticism that can be offered “Great Mood” is its variety. The album never stays with a particular style for more than two songs. Though it’s a fair judgment, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the record. I think her diversity broadens her appeal. Finley’s album is definitely worth a spin by nearly any rock fan.  If the album’s pop isn’t for you, then the hard rock probably is.  If the riffs don’t get you, the melodies will. Just try it.

Broadway regular Felicia Finley has been sing professionally for years. Audiences have seen her in such Broadway shows as The Wedding Singer, Aida and Smokey Joe’s Café. In 2009, Finley finds herself touring the United States with the show Happy Days- A New Musical (developed by Gary Marshall.) While she tours, she is taking time out to promote her debut solo album “Great Mood for a Tuesday”.

The album is being praised as a relevant, incendiary rock effort that firmly brands Finley as a significant rock talent. She has had a reputation for bringing some rock to the Broadway stage; but her album makes one wonder if Finley should have started a band instead of acting. Her voice and song styles are frequently compared to Ann Wilson.

The album and more information about Felicia are available at her official website www.feliciafinley.net.  Dates and cities for the tour can be found online as well.