oris Brendel, Lee Dunham, Not UtopiaPop/Rock/Folk singer Doris Brendel, along with talented producer and instrumentalist Lee Dunham, is a force to be reckoned with. With a unique and eclectic sound, Brendel is ready to blow listeners away with her new collection, Not Utopia.

“No Lonely Girl” is a dark sounding Pop/Rock track with lots of instrumentation and Brendel’s smoky, slinky vocals caressing the listener’s eardrums. The song is good, however the 80′s hair metal guitars and drums mixed alongside the early 00′s Rock/Electronica hybrid amounts to too much going on at once. It distracts away from Brendel’s lovely voice. “EBay”, a smooth slow song, features Lee Dunham on vocals at the beginning of the record. Shortly after, Brendel comes in alone; her smoky voice draws the listener in. She belts out powerful and emotional notes as she sings of selling her soul on EBay. Then there’s “Going Out” is a funky, upbeat song with synthesizers, heavy bass, and thrashing guitars. Brendel’s vocals are distorted and fuzzy, which works with the dark, electric-funk vibe of the track. It’s catchy, with a nostalgic, Pat Benetar edge. The record is different, unique, and like nothing else on the radio right now which sets Brendel apart from the other cookie-cutter Katie Perry wanna-bees crowding the airwaves these days.

Doris Brendel is a talented musician with a unique, raspy voice who sings with emotion. She knows how to use her voice as an instrument to compliment the many, eclectic instruments used in her songs. Lee Dunham provides great backing instrumentation to Brendel’s powerful voice. In contrast, the duo needs to be careful of sounding too quirky and 80’s nostalgic– as this take away from the power and effect of their songwriting capabilities. But despite this slight misstep, Brendel and Dunham is a great Pop/Rock act that is unique, and should easily find their own niche in the music world.