Having an Irish mother and an African American father Monique Debose found herself in a troubled childhood not really feeling black or white and searching for some guidance. Writing songs and recording worked as a kind of therapy for others before like Cherokee demonstrated on her first solo album I Love You…Me in 1999. And recording and performing worked for Monique as well. She’s finally found and accepted herself and therefore doesn’t want to limit herself musically. That’s why her debut album Choose The Experience Vol. I: Ready For Love takes you on a voyage with rock, soul, jazz and pop. The result is always heartfelt and 100% Monique (she wrote all songs and produced them together with Brandon Coleman). Although some people who feel more at home with soul and jazz may find the more rock orientated songs a little disturbing.
Recognize, the album’s opener, is such a song, but if you listen to the lyrics you’ll find out that doing this as a rock song fits (”All she ever wanted was to find her place, all she ever needed was to be recognized/ Recognize she’s alive, and she may not be at her best now, but God knows she tries“). Of course this song also acts as a way to get your attention as Monique confesses in Now That I Have Your Attention.
And from now on things get really good for soul music fans with the warm and organic soul of Walk Away or Monique’s story of a broken heart that finds new hope (Ready For Love). Captivity is another winner with its jazzy feeling.
Monique looses me with the more rocky Promise Of Forever or the MOR pop appeal of Where Do I Stand? or Love Will Be There but she gets me again with the followings interludes and On Your Way, a pleasant midtempo song.
All in all an this is an interesting and musically varied debut album from an artist to watch out for.

Tracklisting of Choose The Experience Vol. I: Ready For Love: 1. Recognize/ 2. Now That I Have Your Attention/ 3. Walk Away/ 4. Ready For Love/ 5. Captivity/ 6. Promise Of Forever/ 7. Where Do I Stand/ 8. Taking A Moment (Reprise)/ 9. Choose The Experience/ 10. On Your Way/ 11. Are You Ready For Love?/ 12. Love Will Be There/ 13. Ready For Love (Alternate Take) | released 2005 by Monique Debose

For more infos visit moniquedebose.com and cdbaby.com.

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