Vicki Shae‘s debut album ‘Daydreams and Nightmares’ shows a pop star in the making. It’s exciting to hear someone new with so much potential: among her many positive attributes are catchy songs which she co-wrote, summery arrangements that make for great traveling music, a sultry voice that stands up to repeated listening, and lyrics that are both witty and appealing. She has moved on from her early hiphop days and as interesting as that material was, she feels much more at home with pop music and it shows.

She reminds me of a young Sheryl Crow, who was quoted recently as saying about her own move to pop simplicity: “I wanted to experiment with writing something simple and positive.”

Vicki’s album contains three or four very strong singles, particularly the title track, ‘Daydreams and Nightmares’; it’s a perfect AM Radio track. This tune will get into your head and you’ll find yourself singing it in the car, in the shower, wherever. The song that follows is ‘Mr. Smooth Talker’, and is a plain-talking refutation of a former lover. You’ll find Vicki’s lyrics refreshingly direct and her sound unique.

Her backing band is heavily based on a prominent use of a very proficient electric guitarist in her co-writer Jim Stoeber, backed by an energizing beat produced by drummer Ron Torpey and bassist John Park. However when she dares to experiment with song construction, as in ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’, her music becomes something special. She could also benefit from a more acoustic sound to vary her sound. I’d love to hear a totally unamplified version of her song ‘Breakdown’. That said, the opening track ‘Wish I Could Hate Her’ is totally electric, and totally effective.

‘Daydreams and Nightmares’ is a terrific debut from someone who is on her way to great things in music.