When talented young singer Elysia announces that “I do everything that I can do” toward the end of her debut, you might wish she’d do a little less. An actress, model, and aspiring pop star, Elysia would do well just to focus on her promising songwriting. As it is, the 17-year-old Avon Lake native’s career is off to an enviable start: Feels Like was licensed by MTV for use on the The Real World, and Elysia recently traveled to California to record with early No Doubt producer Dito Godwin.

It’s easy to hear what would perk industry ears: With a strong, reedy voice that occasionally brings to mind Liz Phair’s ballsy bray, and the ability to pen much of her own material, Elysia highlights the current bumper crop of teen singers with high cheekbones and low tolerance for crappy boyfriends. Feels Like suffers a bit for being mostly locked into the same midpaced acoustic groove, but poised, pleading numbers such as “Feels Like” and “Without Me” are bound for radio.

This article appears in Sep 15-21, 2004.