ON THE FRINGE, Deborah Lombardi’s debut full-length release, mines territory usually associated with the likes of Tori Amos and Sheryl Crow. At least one of the tracks from ON THE FRINGE should sound familiar: “My Dog’s Life” was featured on the Animal Planet program Horse Power: The Road To Maclay. ON THE FRINGE, Lombardi’s debut long-play, highlights her considerable strengths and occasional weaknesses.

Lombardi’s compositions are very listener-friendly, almost immediately familiar and accessible even as they are personal and introspective. A great number of these straddle a fine line between mainstream pop and country (“City Limits,” “Almost Beautiful”). Lombardi’s vocals are possessed of a sultry growl which works well in the lower registers, but can be distracting otherwise (“City On The Potomac,” “In Exile” ). Her own performances notwithstanding, Lombardi’s lyrics, even at their most personal and introspective, should by rights have other vocalists knocking at her door. ON THE FRINGE is not only a good calling card for Lombardi the performer, but Lombardi the songwriter. The arrangements for the most part stay out of her way --- guitars, keyboards, drums --- and her vocals are wisely kept in the front of the mix. It’s somewhat ironic that the songs that works least well for Lombardi, “City on the Potomac” and “In Exile” --- are also the most personal.

Lombardi’s work reminds me in some ways of a singer-songwriter of the 1970 named Karla Bonoff who had a couple of hits on her own and with other singers. It is not so much her style, as the mood she manages to evoke. While she needs to hit the mark more consistently as a performer, her compositions are impressive. This is an artist worth noting.