Guyanese songstress Melanie Fiona dropped her debut effort “The Bridge” a pop, funk, hip-hip soul, R&B filled release with a hint of reggae flavor adorned with both impressive vocal tone and gritty delivery.

After being struck out of obscurity by way of backing from Kanye West and Jay-Z, her first single ‘Give It To Me Right,’ was a precursor to her musical worth. Fiona doesn’t disappoint when it comes to her conviction, sending the listener on a roller-coaster ride of emotion that descends into admirable territory by the album’s end.

You can tell that the best of 60s and 70s soul music was on her mind when she recorded this album and that’s a good thing. For example, “Bang Bang,” offers and interesting stab at a soulful tune with just a hint of country roots as she sings “I’ll be locking and loading, I’ll be shooting forever, got my eye on the target.” But just as she paints a picture of a strong female who goes for what she wants, her coy side can be heard in tracks like “Please Don’t Cry Baby” which runs excitingly close to a sample of The Supremes 1964 hit ‘Come See About Me.’ What Fiona does so well is prove that despite sounding as if she were transplanted from the Motown era, individuality will land you in lane all your own.

If “The Bridge” has a running theme it’s “female empowerment” but not the overbearing kind littered with sad “I can do bad all by myself” songs. On “Monday Morning” the Toronto native gets uber self-assured as she informs her lover that she’s got things to do so if he doesn’t leave then she’s leaving him! But by the time you get to “Walk On By,” she has had more than enough of the bs that bad relationships bring. Misfires like “Ay Yo,’” and “Priceless” only arise due to lack of cohesion, because Fiona’s voice can pretty much make anything worthwhile.

“The Bridge,” fuses musical genres with R&B as its base in a way that’s not unlike Amy Winehouse (in her post drug addict days) but still unique. Fiona definitely has room to kick it up a notch and really step out of her box, because I get the sense that she’s holding back some of what she’s really capable of. But for a debut album, being willing to live so deep within your musical truth is always a good sign.