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Allene Rohrer's sonorous voice grows on the listener as she takes them on a somnolent journey traversing musical styles and decades in her latest release, Alchemy.  Rohrer's songwriting skills save the album from her powerful voice which, at times, seems overbearing and occasionally sounds pitchy. Her strong voice sounds best restrained, adding to the calming, tranquil effect of her softer songs.

The album works as a collection of songs rather than a cohesive set with every song adding a slightly different element to the mix.  She takes her turn adapting to different styles and appropriately mixing music genres covering everything from pop, country, to classic rock.

At her best, Never There, Missing You, and Billy, she creates melodious, contemplative pieces that take one back to 50s pop ballads equally reminiscent of early rockabilly acts and classic country tunes from the Grand Ole Opry.  Her voice shines in its softer, but richer, lower register with Rohrer showing off some great, Joplin-inspired bluesy vocals in True Hearted Man.  At her worst, Live and Surrender, her songs sound like 80s Pat Benatar parodies.  In these tracks, Rohrer's voice seems unable to keep up with all of the changes in pitch, jumping all over the place and creating an unpleasant see-saw effect.

As a whole, Alchemy may not impress, but she certainly has a signature sound mixing folk, country, and pop vocal accruements and creating pining lovelorn lullabies featuring a solid, deeper-toned voice not often heard in a sea of Feists.