Songwriter finds her own crowd

After years of writing No. 1 hits for others, singer displays her own vocal talents.

By Linda Prendez, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, August 31, 1998

It is refreshing to know that a woman with enough candy-coated pop sensibilities to write numerous No. 1 dance hits for artists that have probably half as much talent as she has, actually has something insightful and intelligent to write about.

CD REVIEW

Maybe it is not unusual. After all, without Michelle Lewis' ingenuity, dance songs, such as the UK triple-platinum "Think About Me," and others in Japan and Canada, would not have been as successful as they were.

Whether Lewis got any satisfaction, more than financial, from writing these hits is questionable.

Could KC (KC and the Sunshine Band) get a spiritual fix from "Shake Your Booty" without a hit of LSD? There is no question, however, that Lewis got a load of spiritual satisfaction from her latest debut, "Little Leviathan," released recently on Giant Records.

After years of writing for others, Lewis has finally got the chance to write her own songs. The album, produced by Steve Fisk (Geraldine Fibbers and Joan Osbourne), is the incarnation of her introspective voice waiting to breathe, full of honest and intelligent lyrics and melodious tunes, all 12 of which, she wrote or co-wrote herself.

Lewis' songs, a far cry from dance-inducing, range from intimate and fierce to wry and street smart. "A story teller never lies," she sings in the song "Storytellers," and Lewis has a way of conveying raw realities of her life and a twisted world without coming off as contrived.

Her voice is unannoyingly sweet, with a streetwise hint. She is one of few artists that can talk her lyrics and make the transition to singing mid-verse without screwing up the mood of the song.

"Nowhere and Everywhere," the first song on the album, would sound comfortable on the radio, but it is unlikely that the album will get much airplay - Lewis' musical influences are too sophisticated and her songs do not sound tarty enough for alternative listeners.

The songs will sound just right to a fan who is yearning for good music with attitude, that still has some amount of intelligence and quality song writing.