Alice Smith’s debut album, “For Lovers, Dreamers & Me,” is a blend of her own musical tastes (Jazz, Blue, R&B, Rock, and Funk) and all the places she has lived. You’ll hear the cement pavements of Washington D.C., the determined southern heat of Georgia, Los Angeles fun, eccentric atmosphere, and the hopefulness of New York all coming together to form one unique, potent sound, distinguishing “For Lovers, Dreamers and Me” from all the other albums on the shelf.

The album starts off with “Dream,” a tune that has Alice singing about a lover never find a love as good as hers. Immediately the strength and command of Alice’ four octave voice could be heard, which has drawn comparisons to Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, and Jill Scott. The album continues into the second song, “Woodstock,” about taking time off from the city to go to the country. Sings Alice,

“I woke up in NYC/ With a bunch of anxiety/ Rents due in a couple of weeks/ Yo I had this really f*cked up dream . . . Spent ten days in Woodstock taking it easy/ So would you please excuse me,/ ‘Cause I’m feeling quite sad and I’m happy again.”

You won’t really hear electronic produced sounds in this album. Every song consists of live instruments, including guitars, piano, trumpet, and drums. This gives the album a natural, almost laid back kind of sound that moves wonderfully along side Alice voice, never overtaking her or straying too far in the background.

Every track on “For Lovers, Dreamers & Me” is worth listening to, but the songs that really stand out are “Do I,” a heartfelt ballad about coming to terms with a flawed relationship, “Love Endeavor,” a song about wanting to finally be in a relationship with someone that was always loved, and “Secrets,” a tune that has Alice singing about her inability to hold others private information because of her youth. Lyrically, Alice does well, some songs having been written by her. Each track has meaning and is conveyed well to the listener.

The downside of “For Lovers, Dreamers & Me” may actually be what helps it stand out: Alice’s voice. The strength of it is easily apparent, but it may be too strong for some. Several times in the album Alice will hit a high note that may be a little too high, having one wish she sang softer. Of course, this aspect of the album will vary according to each listener’s personal taste. This shouldn’t stray one from buying the album, however. Having been labeled as one of the artists to watch in 2006 by Rolling Stone, Alice Smith is definitely worth listening to.