Little Things by Toby Lightman

Pros: Love the Big Voice, Memorable Songs...
Cons: Fairly Unheard Of Blue-Eyed Soul Singer...

The handful of music reviews I've written here on Epinions have generally covered well-established artists, so I thought I'd take a break from that routine by covering a new release from a rising star in the music industry, female ...

Pros: extremely soulful vocals, unique presence, country elements
Cons: ambiguous in nature, bland, not a lot in the arrangements

Blue eyed soul has seen a bit of a resurgence in the past few years. An art form that first made a dent back in the day, its crept into the soulful white folks of the industry and amplified it ten-fold, creating an almost culture about the musical style. ...

Pros: Soulful and simple; a definite change from everything else out there.
Cons: Samey; a little too much production in spots.

In 2004, Toby Lightman added her name to the growing list of female singer/songwriter/guitarists with her underhyped debut, Little Things. Little Things sets her apart from your average Michelle Branch wannabe, however, because it's ...

Pros: An R&B influence and soulful voice rejuvenates a tired style of music.
Cons: there is some generic filler, the quality of material isn't consistent

Toby Lightman is an adult alternative singer-songwriter who seems to be influenced by Mary J. Blige as well as by Joni Mitchell. The R&B flavor evident in Lightman's music is a welcome addition to a genre that has become derivative. Don't get me wrong: Lightman is no visionary artist. But her R&B rhythms and soulful singing does give generic adult alternative pop a much-needed kick
The R&B influence is most obvious in "Leave It Inside", "Devils and Angels", "Coming Back In", and "Front Row". These also happen to be the best songs on the album. These tracks are funky acoustic pop/soul that would be at home on an Urban station as well as a Adult Pop station.
The album falls short when Lightman delves into generic material. "Frightened", "Everyday", and "Is This Right?" are pleasant , but they don't have the punch of the soul-leaning tracks.
Toby Lightman is a capable songwriter with a great voice. Her lyrics are solid and her compostions are catchy. I think R&B music serves her quite well and that's what she should stick to. This is a good album but the generic adult alterna-whatever keeps it from being what it should be.

Pros: a great range, she writes her own material, she's fresh, real and beautiful
Cons: there are none - the music industry should have found her sooner!

I've had the pleasure of seeing Toby Lightman live twice, once in the House of Blues in Chicago, IL and once in Wilmington, NC and she is the real deal. I became a fan after hearing her live for the first time opening for Edwin McCain.

She writes her own songs which should be critical for any music enthuasist and her voice and range are nothing short of amazing. She offers a little bit of everything here, pop/rock/r&b...you can't pin her down to a label and that's the best thing about her. You won't regret picking this up for your music collection and check her out when she is in your area!

Pros: The album's great. "Devils and Angels" is catchy. All the songs are good.
Cons: The album could have been a bit longer,other than that it is Great.

The album itself is great. It has some catchy tunes. Toby has a good voice. She reminds me a Sheryl crow and Alanis Morrisette. That is very good. "Devils and Angels" has some good parts and it is very catchy. Toby will make it far in this business.