Ultimate High

Dublin born Hennessy has enjoyed something of a whirlwind career to date. A Christmas album, recorded when she was just ten led to appearances in film and adverts, culminating in a much-trumpeted record contract signed in LA three years ago when she was just 15. Now managed by Miles Copeland, Ultimate High, her debut proper, comes with the kind of big-budget credits that most artists of her age could only dream of.

Working with a slew of producers and writers, centred around the hit-making team of Greg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, nothing is left to chance here. The current single, ‘I’m Gonna Blow Your Mind’ has Alexander’s stamp all over it – fast paced rhythms, hard rocking guitars and melodic hooks. The trouble is, his style is so readily identifiable that it can distracts from Hennessy’s input. ‘You’ll Never Meet God (If You Break My Heart)’ for example, is way too close to his New Radicals smash ‘You Get What You Give’. Far better is ‘Beautiful You’ a sweeping, soaring sensuous thing that comes across as a ready-made chart-topper.

She has a formidable voice, that’s for sure, kind of Stevie Nicks meets Sheryl Crow, with an exuberant, effortless style, albeit with a tendency to over-sing at times. The best song here by a mile is, ‘Surface Wound’, an edgy slow rocker that builds into a powerful vehicle for her voice which places her as a rock, rather than a pop singer.

‘Just Missed The Train’ is another slow-burner, while the album’s closer the unadorned and understated acoustic ballad ‘What I’ve Found’ shows yet another side to this talented newcomer.

As debut albums go, this is one hell of an introduction to the world.