Suddenly

Mpress were trained by the same team that introduced the Backstreet Boys and Mandy Moore, but that was more about crafting their image than their music. Their sound is a mix of production techniques and songwriting influenced by the pop music boom of the late '90s, but with a bit of the flavor and feel of the previous pop music boom in the pre-Nirvana early '90s. This Jane Child-meets-Destiny's Child flavor works well on the dance songs, and the trio and their producers have a good feel for this aspect of the genre. "Ain't the One" may be the best single track here, its bouncing beat and fast-paced vocals reveal an effectively angry ode to a bad boyfriend. Elsewhere, the opener "Maybe" feels like an updated version of Amy Grant's "Good for Me" with its gorgeous chorus plastered over a funky pop beat. The mid-tempo tracks do not fair as well; for the most part they are forgettable and reveal the weaknesses in the songwriting. And the ballads are even more hit-and-miss; "For You" is a sappy but effective tear jerker, but the title track comes off as bland and uninspired. The formula for this sort of pop is actually pretty complicated, and it is a miracle that Mpress can make this genre of music sound as good as they do, considering the lack of big-name producers or major-label backing. There are definitely a few good songs on Suddenly, but this is still a pretty uneven album that shows a group with the potential to improve.