New Orleans is rich with stirring female vocalists these days and here's a new one to add to the list-- Miss MEC released her first solo EP, So Damn True, in December. Miss MEC, also known as Michelle Cunningham, has a voice well-suited for the 1950s and '60s-inspired music she reaches into. You may recognize Cunningham from her previous group, Strange Roux, which she performed with for three years.

Born in Texas, raised in Mississippi, and settled in New Orleans, Cunningham pulls on the southern influences she grew up with to create the groove of this soulful EP. So Damn True opens with the impassioned 'I Can't Believe My Baby Left Me All Alone' then moves into the poppy, '60s-inspired 'Don't Wanna Let You Down.'

'Ain't No Use' has a surf-rock current running under it with that same 1960s feel that brings a sound appropriate for classic James Bond films to mind. Miss MEC brings in a poppy Caribbean-beat on 'Give Me Your Love' and ends the EP with the beautiful, compassionate 'Hush.'

Throughout the EP, Campbell's voice is enriched by the accompaniment a rich set of instrumentation. Saxophone, piano, and distorted guitar add a particular depth to the emotion of this set of lovelorn songs. Stream So Damn True for free on her website at missmec.com and hear other songs at her Bandcamp page.

Check our online Livewire Music Calendar for any upcoming Miss MEC shows.

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