Album Review: MissMeloVi- C'estLaVi

Christian Urban Pop may have found it’s sound in Melody Vinett, aka MissMeloVi. The Tulsa, OK native and product of gospel super group 1G.O.P. releases a debut album Cest La Vi [say-lah-vee] (french for This is Life) that may have laid the blueprint for the crossover Pop Gospel genre.

Sitting concise at nine tracks, and having written all of the songs, MissMeloVi kicks off with a hip-hop smash in Let’s Go and doesn’t stop displaying her versatility and ear for musicianship until the albums end. Whether it is the subtle funk switch up in the bass line of Nostalgia’s bridge, the thumping synthesizers of More or the rock influenced guitar and drums of Superhero, the substance in Cest La Vi perpetuates multiple listens. Credit is also due to upcoming producers Bryant “B Priest” Hamilton, Antjuan “Grand Finale” Robinson, and Michael Todd for creating sounds that allowed MeloVi to flow through and combine genres effortlessly without getting lost.

Leave a Message and Counterfeit are anthems that encourage pride, self confidence and the ability to walk away from unbeneficial relationships and situations. The melodies themselves are as infectious as the voice that navigates them, and the beats are knocking as well. In the grand scheme of the musical landscape MissMeloVi presents an uplifting view of even the negative aspects of life and love that is a breath of fresh air compared to the jadedness of most R&B sirens. If this is the life MissMeloVi is presenting, I hope the world is ready to take note.