Piece of Mind' is anything but

While the smooth beats and rhythms of Robin Lane and The Chartbuster's album Piece of Mind are in accord with the title and induce slow and steady head-bobbing and toe-tapping, Lane's lyrics are simplistic and range from whiny and melancholy to throaty and angry. Initially, the instrumentals themselves are worth listening to and actually have a rather large range of sounds, but Lane's voice adds nothing but flatness and an amateur tone to the music. The music itself, unfortunately, follows Lane's dreary lead.

"All Fall Down" opens the album with an optimistic beat; but unfortunately that hopefulness is dampened by Lane's vocal entrance. The anticipation of a decent album is not entirely ruined however until we hear the second track, "Talk to You." This track is reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette's later music, far inferior to her earlier platinum records. Even that comparison is far fetched because Lane and The Chartbusters lack the raw talent of Morrisette and other female singers in her league.

Aside from Alanis Morrisette, Lane attempts to imitate a slew of other female legends such as Natalie Merchant, Fiona Apple, Jann Arden, and to some extent, Sarah McLachlan. In a hopeless combination of angry feminism, slow and syrupy sadness, and monotonous attempts at upbeat melodies, Lane's endeavor to replicate these successes is drowned in trite lyrics, simplistic rhymes, and long overused clich?©s.

As the CD progresses, the mode shifts from artificial replications of respected women artists to a sound similar to that of "My dog got run over by a truck and my boyfriend left me" country music, exemplified by track eight's "The Letter."

Aside from incessant and simple guitar riffs, Lane's own writing gives nearly the entire CD the sound of filler songs. Her 'advanced' and 'poetic' lyrics range from rhyming "get" with "forget" to lines such as "I used to think I was so smart, but when you're around I'm losing control of my hea-art."

As for redeeming qualities, if you're looking for an album where you can have all the words memorized after one listen, this is the record you're looking for. The songs are so one-dimensional that certain tracks including "Somebody Else" and "Idiot" are actually just grating repetitions of the same not so catchy verse. The tunes are evocative of stereotypical chants in Disney movies such as Peter Pan (The scene with the "Red Man") or maybe in early 20th century musicals.

Another comparable musical talent that comes to mind is NBC's Friends' Phoebe and her coffee house guitar strumming. The effect is that of the untrained vocals of someone who learned a few very basic guitar chords and then made up a song using mundane rhymes and chant like melodies. The song itself could be made up as it was being sung. The product is very effective in the case of Phoebe with the addition of her onscreen charm and witty costars; however Lane can't quite reach the level of "Smelly Cat."

Robin Lane and the Chartbusters were reaching for a worthwhile sound, and maybe even a worthwhile message, but they managed to fall short of achieving anything close to captivating, or anything close to "Peace of Mind". The sound is that of an amateur garage band with little innovation and an even smaller amount of preparation or instruction. If you're looking for a melancholy, or even angry, female artist, stick with Alanis Morrisette.