"Leah Andreone Unveils Impressive Debut Album"

by Menno Visser

Amsterdam - In the emerging market for female singer/songwriters, many labels have signed their own equivalent of the successful Alanis Morissette. By judging the Italian American Leah Andreone just on her debut single "It's ALright It's OK," some radio programmers would expect to find another Alanis copycat. But the charming 23-year-old from San Diego has much more to offer.

Those who attended her recent European showcases were able to witness her talent, her powerful performances and her great voice. Just as Andreone impressed BMG International staff at a European meeting earlier this year. "Everybody fell in love with Leah," laughs New York-based RCA International VP Dwayne Welch, who oversees Andreone's promotion. As he explains, "The keyword for RCA in breaking new artists is 'pro-active.' We're not giving the Europeans those stories anymore about chart positions far away in the USA, but we send them over to Europe." Andreone's schedule allowed her to travel to Europe during the slow month of August. A lengthy promo tour took her to France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia, where she combined acoustic showcases with interviews and TV appearances. Her European trip soon paid off. Welch reports some 200 plays in Finland and he adds, "MTV Europe always wants the radio story before playing the video, but in this case we've got it." In January, Andreone will come back to do more UK promotion. She will also introduce her band during a high profile showcase in Paris.

Exciting discovery

Dutch BMG product manager Menno Timmerman agrees with Welch. "The artist is the best marketing tool." And though he found Andreone's album Veiled an exciting discovery, he decided not to rush its release. "First we want to build a base with the single before we release the album. We sent advance copies of the album to some trendsetters to get their feel for her potential. I want to stress that we're not promoting Leah as just another Alanis Morissette." Dwayne Welch notes that "The timing is good, but there have been Alanis Morissettes ever since Joni Mitchell."

In Scandinavia "It's Alright It's OK" has gained a lot of airplay. Danmark's DR P3 music co-ordinator Morten Randholt, where Andreone did an unplugged gig in the morning show, thinks, "It is a song with a lot of power and an edge. If BMG is promoting it as the next Alanis, that's the way these things work."

Geneva-based Radio Lac head of music Jacky Saunders prefers to compare Andreone with Joan Osborne. "For me, it's just the composition which counts. 'It's Alright It's OK' is one of my personal favorites for this summer. We play it very often and I expect the song to become a big hit."

Not Impressed By Alanis

When confronted with the Alanis Morissette comparison, Andreone herself doesn't feel offended. "Alanis has been the last big thing. She did a lot of good things. I think a lot of kids feel more of an openness about what pisses them off and what makes them happy." Still, she doesn't see any obvious connection. "This single was already written before I'd heard about Alanis. When I discovered her it didn't make as much of an impression on me as it did on everyone else."

Andreone wrote almost all of the songs in collaboration with her producer Rick Neigher, who also worked with RCA artist Ké. "I had already signed a deal with RCA and they gave me a list of producers to meet. I wasn't impressed by most of them. My style didn't groove with theirs. When I met Rick, our collaboration turned out to be just amazing." When working as a waitress in L.A., she used to slip demo tapes to record executives. Finally the last time she got lucky. The A&R manager in question came back the next morning to ask her to take the day off. As Andreone recounts, "That night I managed to set up a gig. He showed up and after the performance he put me on the spot. 'Is this the best you can do?' he asked. After aswering 'yes,' I signed a contract a week later."