Melissa Sigler, Easy Way Out (Independent)

Even though Melissa Sigler’s music may ensconce you to the point you’d swear you’re in some shag-carpeted lounge sipping a glass of cognac, it’s not one you’ve been in before. Instead of listening to the same banal cover hits, the Lake Charles keyboard-playing diva is the type of performer who can hold her audience to the point they forgot why they came in. Her deep, projective vocals are comfortably warm while she adeptly frames the chords or pounds out a boogie like “The Bra Slingin’ Boogie” that’s not at all a bust. Accompanied by her Diamella band, drummer Linda Waring and guitarist Tina Wing, Sigler’s original material shows there’re real songs inside like the lamenting “Merry Christmas Baby” or the sentimental “Believe in Me.” While Louisiana-themed songs “Bayou Boy” and “Calcasieu River” are bonused with Mark Hebert’s fiddling, Sigler’s ballads are candidates for fuller, more orchestrated arrangements, more horns and guitars to complement her expressive voice and keyboards. No question Sigler’s got the stuff.