Colleen Coadic is a lady constantly on the verge of fame.  Seemingly dedicated to staying just outside of the radar, Coadic has recently released her fifth album, "You Feel This Good," to an eager Alaskan and international audience.  But is this eclectic folk/pop songstress worth the price tag?

Many critics have designated Coadic's fading genre as a ship that has long-since sailed.  Female yuppie angst is a trend designated for the mid 90's.  Even Ani DiFranco is collecting her things before getting the proverbial boot.  But Coadic is adamant about holding on in hopes that the times will once again shift and her unique brand of white-whine will come back into style.  Luckily, "You Feel This Good" is just the album for such a movement.

Part sultry naysayer, part soft-spoken confessor with just a sprinkling of unexpected rage, Coadic has found her voice amongst the varied musical landscape with music best suited for the coffeehouse atmosphere.  The song, "By the Time You Read This" is a perfect example.  Here, Coadic chooses the classic lament of lost love and infuses it with the usual sense of blazon resilience and "new-dayism" expected of its species.  It's nothing new, but it's done with such competence that the hackneyed nature can be at least somewhat ignored.

I couldn't help but to feel as though "You Feel This Good" was the intended soundtrack to shows such as "Dawson's Creek" or "Gilmore Girls."  The album has all the markings of what suburbia has labeled "acceptable rebellion."  Take "Wicked Kate," for example.  It's a little darker, a little more anxious, but still firmly within the lines of the "it's just a phase" mentality.

Coadic is a self-admitted daughter of hippies.  Growing up within a musical cocoon, Coadic is without a doubt in control of her sound.  The diary-esque nature of her lyrics are far too personal to be manufactured and Coadic contorts them with fierce intelligence.  One of the best examples of this strength comes with "What's New How Are You."  In it, Coadic is able to resist relying on the need for lyrical tantrums and presents a carefully planned, thoughtful song about the pitfalls of insincere relationships.

Now based in Eagle River, Coadic is relentless in improving her approach and promoting a wider audience.  Coadic has been chosen seven years in a row as Anchorage's best singer/songwriter and performer by the press.  Her debut video "I Am" is now getting heavy rotation on MTV Europe and CMT Canada.  With a little luck, Coadic may just convince an apathetic consumer market that her gimmick still has a few last breaths.

"You Feel This Good" will not shock you with originality.  It will not make you believe in deceptively passive melodies if you aren't already a fan.  But it will make you appreciate talented performers in a market besmirched with much the opposite.  Colleen Coadic's latest fare has certainly earned its place amongst the noise.

To find out more about "You Feel This Good" or Colleen Coadic, visit www.colleen.org.

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