NARROWLY missing out on a Grammy award, Wait For Me doesn't sound too much like the blues I was brought up with. It's way too upbeat and Susan Tedeschi doesn't seem to be a person with a lot to grumble about.

Nowhere is the pain, love lost and trauma that has fashioned classic blues performers for decades. If Tedeschi's first album was gold-certified, then Wait For Me is gold-plated. This American artist has a fantastic voice but, unfortunately, her material doesn't compare with her vocal talent.

Variety is the spice of any record but, pick out one track on Wait For Me and you have heard about as much as you need. The 11 songs sound the same, and bore in the same fashion. Don't Think Twice and the title track are the best of a mediocre bunch. That's not saying a great deal. Wait For Me? I'll be the first to leave.

Updated: 08:38 Thursday, April 01, 2004