NO MATTER what an ex- governor might think, ya can’t hold a determined escort back.
Ashley Dupre’s ambition to rise to the top of the single charts with yesterday’s release of her song “Inside Out” just might work.
Dupre’s tune, a song about a life gone crazy by events outside her control, is melodic, pretty and, with her looks and reputation, might just launch her career in a new direction.
The tune is a slow, introspective piano ballad where Dupre’s middle range pours like burnt honey. There is an honesty in her singing that says she’s believing it when she sings lyrics such as “If I was faithful, if I was true, If I loved no one else but you.”
In a way, her style of phrasing owes much to Mariah Carey, except of course, Dupre doesn’t come close to matching Carey’s multi-octave range.
While you wouldn’t flip this tune off if it came on the car radio, it still doesn’t wow you with raw excitement, or even technical achievement. The real problem with this kind of girl-next-door style is that Dupre isn’t just the girl next door.
What would have been more impressive than a molasses ballad that’s just shy of tears would have been a bluesy vamp that she struts vocally and lyrically.
Dupre also has the formidable task of convincing kids to buy her song. While good, this isn’t a youthful sound — she’s not a Pussycat Doll. It’s something more appealing to an older man sipping a martini at the losers lounge.