Tessanne Chin “Count on My Love” Album Review

Prime Cuts:  I Heart U, Loudest Silence, People Change

One of the greatest blessings of shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice" is that they have brought singing back to the cynosure, and rightly so.  No longer do artists need to swing naked on a wrecking ball in order to prostitute themselves for a lofty position on the iTunes chart.  Rather, the focus is now on one's ability to sing.  And if you need prove that Tessanne Chin, the winner of Season 5 of "The Voice," can sing, just watch her performance of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing."  Nothing short of immaculate, the way this Jamaican chanteuse has absolute control of the moment, taking her time to nuance every syllable of this iconic ballad before letting go for some vocal acrobats so awe-inspiring that by the time the song ends you can't help but give her a standing ovation.  This is not the opinion of the minority, Chin is the only contestant on "The Voice" to top the iTunes chart twice (first with her cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" followed by 'I Have Nothing") even before her own album was made.

One of the rewards of being the winner at "The Voice" was a recording contract with Republic Records/Universal Republic.  And with the international exposure of Chin's win at "The Voice," it's expectant that every song writer and producer of every stripe would clamor to be a part of #TeamTessanne.  Thus, the credits on "Count On My Love," Chin's major label debut, read like the roll call of the Who's Who in today's pop music.  Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic who has penned songs for Kelly Clarkson, James Blunt and Demi Lovato gets the first slice of the cake with co-scribing the first official single "Tumbling Down."  An honest depiction of the protagonist trying to salvage a crumbling relationship with a last offer of sacrificial love, the mid-tempo "Tumbling Down" will strike a chord with anyone who has experienced the warts of being in a relationship. 

Never one to forget her own roots, Chin has enlisted the production aegis of fellow Jamaican Dwayne Chin-Quee also known as Supa Dups for the follow-up single "Everything Reminds Me of You." A little on the nondescript side, "Everything Reminds of You" is a light hearted breezy ode that tries to capture the flushes of romance.  And delving more into her heritage are a few more "island" infused reggae.  This is spearheaded by the title cut "Count On My Love."  In what is a touch of brilliance, "Count On My Love" incorporates the polished sounds of techno-pop into reggae, recreating a technoreggae sound that is refreshing to the ears.  Legendary writer Diane Warren (Whitney Houston, Celine Dion & Mariah Carey) takes a recess from her signature balladry style with the contribution of the reggae influenced "I Heart You."  Of note, Warren must be one of the first writers to turn the word "heart" from a noun into a verb.

Fans smitten by Chin's rendition of "I Have Nothing," have to wait until track 7 for a ballad.  Never really displaying any dynamistic outburst of vocal acrobats, "Loudest Silence" has a quiet desperation that simmers right across this heart breaker of a song as Chin laments the breakdown of communication in a decaying relationship.  "People Change" is another dagger to the heart; a song that deals with the regrets associated with the closure of a relationship. However, most disappointing is that if you are looking for a full-fledged piano ballad with a chorus that soars to the heavens, it's nowhere to be found here.  After being brought to the dance via Whitney Houston's 'I Have Nothing," it's quite a disappointment that there is really nothing here to showcase Chin in her brightest array.

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