What do Stereophonics, Keane and the Dandy Warhols have in common? They are just some of the many British acts, which have fared well in Europe and the U.K., but only mildly in America. Other more recent examples include rapper Just Jack and American-born piano-popper Ross Copperman. Enter 20-year-old Glaswegian Amy Macdonald Her 2007 debut album, This is the Life, is currently number one in the UK, Denmark and Sweden -- It's number two on the charts in the Netherlands and in the Top 20 in Ireland and Germany. Her album hits American shores this August.

Last night at the Mercury Lounge, Macdonald made her New York City debut to a capacity crowd that seemed incredibly familiar with her music. Opener "Poison Prince" -- written for Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty -- carried the same acidity and vocal inflections as Nightmare of You frontman Brandon Reilly, while current single "Mr. Rock and Roll" had more of a KT Tunstall-like strut to it. Critics have credited her vocal style for being distinctly Irish and sounding similar to Dolores O'Riordan, and that isn't too far from the truth. Her vocals came across more as a chant than a sweetly sung verse. She tried her hand at a slower version of The Killer's "Mr. Brightside," a band that she considers a huge influence. And while the cover was admirable and effective, it may have been the only misstep of the performance.

Backed by a four-piece band (drums, keys, bass and guitar) the set was crisp and polished, with songs like the sweetly melodic "Footballer's Wife," and the searing, guitar-driven "Run," being some of the highlights. A sweet country ballad entitled "The Road to Home" was a touching homage to a lost pet that was neither corny nor saccharine, and the statement song "Youth of Today," which Macdonald admitted she wrote six years ago, was compelling and inviting. For an encore she performed the two-minute hidden track "Caledonia," and the flaring rocker "Let's Start a Band."

For all her musical prowess, Macdonald also proved to be incredibly likeable. There was little attitude, copious amounts of gratitude, an adorable sense of awe and amazement and an unaffected, down-to-earth sincerity that is both refreshing and solely needed in the music world. Whether her songs make it in the U.S. is still to be determined, but if her set at the Mercury Lounge last night was any indication, then she's already made it.
 


- This review was submitted by reader Greg Robson. The performance took place at New York's Mercury Lounge.