Each country has its own Alanis Morissette, and Maria Mena is from Norway. The young singer had a huge hit in her own country with the song My Lullaby, about the divorce of her parents, and her debut album Another Phase became a huge sales success. Time to look to the rest of Europe and the United States and that is what Mena does with the CD White Turns Blue (2004). A first hit has already arrived
… with the fun single You're The Only One, in which Mena sings candidly about her crush ('And you're the only one who / Holds my hair back / When I'm drunk and get sick') . The song is exemplary for White Turns Blue, which is full of songs that vary from light guitar pop to more solid rock songs in the style of Avril Lavigne or Michelle Branche, for example. Maria Mena co-wrote all the songs with producer Arvid Solvang, and is not afraid to get quite personal. In that respect she does indeed remind a bit of Alanis Morissette, and that's not a bad comparison. (IV)more