by Dasha Black
Actor Claudia Christian debuted as a music performer in 2001 with Once Upon a Time, a solid mix of adult-contemporary, pop/rock, and torch songs. Influenced by the likes of Heart, Patsy Cline, and Patti Smith, Christian’s Once Upon a Time serves up readily accessible numbers in virtually every format. Where most artists find such variety a bad move, it works here because Christian delivers with a capable band, and an enduring voice. It would be interesting to see future projects explore the strength of her voice more, perhaps in an edgier Garbage-styled format.
Though its themes of love and loss are timeless, Once Upon a Time is light fare by today’s pop standards. Still, the mainstreaming of the once underground 80’s revival movement now makes Once Upon a Time increasingly relevant and a “must have” for any Christian fan.