Melissa Engleman: A Voice of Vulnerability, Strength, and Melody

Melissa Engleman has one of those voices that just gets attention. It's emotive and very melodic, it's a great fit for the alt-country genre she's making, every note feels like it's placed with intention. Her tone is a bit nasal, giving her delivery that sharpness and clarity often found in traditional country and folk music. Her vocals are close to artists like Patsy Cline or even Tori Amos. Whether she’s giving her all in a heartbreaking ballad or in something more uplifting, there’s just this honesty in her voice that makes you feel like you’re right there with her, and that you're experiencing what she’s going through.

Her latest project, Love (Indiegogo Version) is the first part of her Trilogy of Love, Death, and Mexico. She recorded most of the EP at Plaid Dog Studios in Boston, with some additional vocals in Austin. In this project you can hear how she balances vulnerability with quiet strength. Songs like For As Long As My Heart Would Let Me and Say Goodbye are beautifully written. They look at heartache and self-growth with poetic lyricism and a strong vocal presence. She crafted this EP when she was facing serious challenges, including a cancer diagnosis and delays from the pandemic. But she never gave up, she used music as her refuge, as an outlet and her way of pushing forward. 

Melissa’s voice is pretty much like her lyrics. It has this naked sincerity that keeps audiences engaged. She can sing at well-known venues like the Saxon Pub or she can perform on Austin’s Fox 7 Music in the Morning, every song she sings feels like she’s just singing for you. Critics have also taken notice—Nick Spacek from The Pitch KC described her voice as "high lonesome," the kind that can stop you in your tracks from across the room. Her approach to her music gets her noticed, especially in a genre that’s all about being real.

Melissa’s music is about everything she’s been through—her battles, her growth and learning how to love herself. She’s inspired by legends like Willie Nelson and Rickie Lee Jones, and even brings in that moody, cinematic feel you’d expect from a David Lynch film. However, more than anything else, Melissa can make one connect truly with her voice. She tells her story in a way that one shares the feeling; she turns vulnerability into something strong, something that can heal and inspire. 

 

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