Hot Talent Alert: Carina Round

Here's something that will add a little crunch to your day...

Carina Round is a British singer who is currently supporting Annie Lennox on her U.S. tour to showcase her new album "Slow Motion Addict." That record was produced by Glenn Ballard who also worked with Lennox on "Songs Of Mass Destruction."

But be warned. Carina Round sounds nothing like Annie Lennox. Listen for example to "Stolen Car" from her new album below. It is an arresting pop-rock tune that packs a heavy punch with her raw vocal delivery and haunting lyrics that are laced by wailing, melodic rock riffs.

Growing in a deprived area of Wolverhapton, England in a single mother household, music was the ultimate escape for Round. When she was five years old, she got a turntable and started playing Dylan and Simone in her bedroom that sparked her interest in making music herself.  After tuning her musical skills in Birmingham's club scene, she released "The First Blood Mysteries" and "The Disconnection" in 2004. For the release of of her third album, Round collaborated with Ballard in Los Angeles who added a slick veneer to her raw, rocky sound.

In an interview with KGRL FM, Round explains how her recent connection with Glenn Ballard (and eventually Annie Lennox) came about. "I had a few dealings with a guy called Dave Stewart, who started the Eurythmics and is still in Eurythmics," she says. "He started a record company with Jimmy Iovine, who is the head of Universal Music and Interscope Records. It was a joint venture, which is who I signed to for 'The Disconnection' in the U.S. and also 'Slow Motion Addict.'  He [Dave] was very good friends with Glenn and he introduced me to him." (Click here to check out Carina Round on iTunes.)