CD REVIEW : Plugged in Music

ARTICLE : The Del Mar Times chronicles the scary girl who stole Annie's song

CD REVIEW : Discoveringartists.com

CD REVIEW : Soundaffects.net

CD REVIEW : San Diego Troubadour, December 2003
By Frederick Leonard

This debut solo effort by Annie Bethancourt features 13 tunes rendered, with a few exceptions, on one guitar and one sweet voice. The cover of this CD shows her jamming in front of an auto garage, open-mic style. The Garage Sessions was produced by her father and partially influenced artistically by her mom, this humble production boasts no pretensions.

I’ll get my standard quota of suspicion over first. On several tracks you can hear the influence s of Joni, Alanis and Jewel’s too-many-syllables, rocking firmly on her sleeve. But I don’t wanna talk about that. Why? Because this humbly recorded demo-esque CD has a couple of serious “hits” on it in raw form--the truest test of a great song, which exceed any of my modest criticism.

“My Beloved” is a beautifully written ballad that’s free of influences and truly her. Lyrically speaking, she sings so sweetly a universal message, transmitted in a gorgeous time-transcending melody, that seems to swirl though its pretty changes. And her talent shines through like a ray of hope.

“Lemonade Iced Tea” touches on a classic theme, while the lyrics are the kind that could be spoken either to her lover, or to God. She does a wonderful job here, balancing interesting metaphors with raw images of realism. She offers admissions and ponders the most challenging of all questions. (you’ll have to listen for yourself…) She’s young but is thinking like a matured woman.

“En Cuanto a Mi” testifies that anything sung in Spanish is beautiful; This is by far my favorite track for its inherent beauty alone. It sounds like another hit to me. Although it’s Spanish, I would bet that one could probably sing along with it, anyway. And, once again, Annie is talking about bigger things in simpler terms…sacrifices, waiting, dedication. Siempre

Beware of hidden tracks.