On
Allow Me to Confess, her recording debut, 22-year old
Gina Sicilia comes across as a young
Etta James, both in the power of her voice and in her repertoire. Based in Philadelphia and more experienced than one would expect from someone at her young age, she performs blues, blues ballads, soul, and some 1960s-style R&B. While guitarist/producer
Dave Gross gives some of the songs a 1950s jump blues feel,
Sicilia sings a tune apiece from
Big Maybelle,
Esther Phillips, and
Etta James, plus her own originals. Whether any of her songs will catch on as future R&B/blues standards is open to question, but certainly
Gina Sicilia will be a force in this music for many years to come. ~ Scott Yanow