Back in 2001, AMG reviewed an excellent album by a young Irish vocalist signed to MCA named Carly Hennessy. Although she had originally recorded an album’s worth of material with producer Steve Dorff, all but one of these tracks were set aside and Hennessy began working with former New Radicals duo Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois. The resulting album, Ultimate High, though admittedly a studio creation, was nonetheless a surprisingly enjoyable effort that benefited from Alexander and Brisebois’ knack for writing songs influenced by ’70s blue-eyed soul and soft-rock which brought to mind a mix of Todd Rundgren and Fleetwood Mac. It didn’t hurt, either, that Hennessy — with her soulful Sarah McLachlan-meets-Carole King voice — could really sing. Unfortunately, the album didn’t sell and Hennessy was ultimately dropped from the label. Subsequently, it was also widely reported that MCA purportedly spent over two million dollars on Hennessy and her album, a rumor that fueled the image of a music industry whose values and business practices were misguided, gluttonous, and out of touch with what the public wanted. The debacle was featured in an article in The Wall Street Journal.

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