Tamara Rhodes Double Feature. Release Date : July 26, 2005. Label: Arc2 Entertainment. Rating: Saucetastic. (Screw points. To each his own!) Husky, strong-voiced, saucy and lightly vicious, very in the vein of the modern Kelly Clarkson style edgy, genre-bending female pop artists, Tamara Rhodes shoves hip hop, dancepop and vocal jazz into a bowl and sets the mixers on high. The opening "Double Feature" runs through with a mellow hip hop beat and spattering trumpets. "Sweetest Thing" is somewhere between a Justin Timberlake and a Janet Jackson (oh ha ha, I know there's not always much between those two). Layers of high, low, r+b vocals twinkle about, peppered with a theatrical chorus. Not quite quick enough for the clubs, but you can still sort of get down to it. Very feminine and womanly. I can't say it's my favourite genre, but it is quite wonderfully crafted and you can easily tell she's trained in what she does so well. "Empty Room" is such a classic cabaret ballad. Rhodes should be wearing a sparkly dress and perching on a piano for this one while a room full of handsome young gents with cigars look on. It's a bit of an odd marriage between the modern synthy stuff and the shady vocal numbers. I can't tell too much if that's an attempt at diversity, or a lack of direction. Both styles work well for Rhodes, though they seem like they should come from different albums. "I Like Your Style" is pretty smokin' sexy. Thick beats tumble over coy vocals. Song of choice : "Empty Room" - lovely! -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Tamara Rhodes website Published : January, 2007.