Album of the Month - The Bridge by Melanie Fiona

Our neighbors to the North have given us many things: Hockey and Jim Carrey, to name a few. They've also produced R&B singers Tamia and Deborah Cox. Now we can add to that list the name of Melanie Fiona.

Backed by the mainstream industry (in the form of Jay-Z's Roc Nation), Fiona has been able to create a buzz with her first two singles. The first, "Give It To Me Right", uses a sample from the Zombies "Time of the Season" and got steady airplay on VH1 Soul and BET. The same can be said about her follow-up "It Kills Me", a soulful song that could prove to be her most memorable.

The product of Afro-Guyanese parents, Fiona's CD, The Bridge, incorporates not the sounds of her parents native land, but the Caribbean as a whole. If Estelle, Solange and Vivian Green morphed into one being, that would describe Fiona's debut album.

Nominated for a Grammy for "It Kills Me", Fiona's album is worth a listen for those who love a little versatility in their music.