Envie

Envie (pronounced "NV") is fronted by singer/composer/pianist/harpist Renee Nelson, who also credits her lyricist, Michael Overstreet, as a group member and who is backed by a rock band consisting of guitarist Chris Hoke, bassist Jared Welsh, and drummer Kevin Wallace on this self-titled and self-released debut album. Nelson betrays a classical education as soon as she sits down at the keyboard, but she uses it to create attractive pop/rock and mainstream hard rock treatments of her melodic tunes; the harp is employed as if it were a loud acoustic guitar, and creates an unusual sonic touch. Overstreet's lyrics take a backseat and are used largely for their sounds in Nelson's floating soprano. She leans a bit closer to Amy Lee of Evanescence than to Tori Amos, but actually falls somewhere in between. As indie bands go, Envie is surprisingly accessible, which makes the possibility of a pickup by a larger label seem likely.