ARTIST

Lucy Woodward

British-born, Amsterdam and New York-bred Lucy Woodward may have made her debut with the single and video "Dumb Girls," but it's clear that the singer-songwriter's not one of them. Armed with talent and good looks to match, the 25-year-old New Yorker recruited an A-list of collaborators to support her on While You Can, her debut album on Atlantic Records.

The album was produced by John Shanks, known for his work with Michelle Branch, The Corrs, Sheryl Crow, and Stevie Nicks, and it's likely no coincidence that Shanks was hired based on those credits, since it clearly aims to establish Woodward as an artist with an appeal that falls somewhere between Branch and Crow.

Like Branch, Woodward may be relatively young, but she's no newcomer to music. She grew up immersed in music, with both her parents accredited musicologists. Her father is a composer and once conducted for the BBC, while her mother is a music teacher and former opera singer and belly dancer.

Woodward's musical training began following her move to New York City. She studied piano and flute, but found her voice in vocal lessons at the age of 14. She soon landed work in New York clubs, commercials, and studio sessions, but ultimately found such work unsatisfying since she wasn't able to sing with her "true voice."

That all changed after landing a deal with Atlantic Records. Her debut features material Woodward co-wrote with songwriters who have worked with Kiss, The Ronettes, Ringo Starr, Macy Gray, O-Town, Brandy, Willie Nelson, SR-71, and Avril Lavigne. She also didn't skimp on hiring an impressive list of studio aces, including John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff and Who/Eric Clapton bassist Pino Palladino. With talent like that backing her up, it's likely that from here Woodward will only move forward.

Written by Craig Rosen