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Listen to newcomer solo act Julianne and you would find yourself harboring to the feathery, soft soul music of Corinne Bailey Rae, India Airie and D' Sound. The familiar sickly-sweet melodies and the sashaying warmth of acoustic guitars, honeyed vocals and minimalist arrangements grant Julianne the obvious comparisons to these fresh music talents. And these elements seem to be the signature drama of her latest CD under MCA Universal entitled Grateful, a languidly guitar pop-influenced neosoul record, swooned by her sentimental lament as a young adult in love.

Unlike other pinoy soul luminaries like Chillitees, Sino Sikat, Cosmic Love and several other bands, Julianne is more of the sensitive singer-songwriter type, but instead of good old folk-alternative and movie filler-potentials, she squeezes out the Stevie Wonder in her and heartbreakingly renders emotional ditties with fiery passion like no other. The songs in her latest album, Grateful proves that charm comes in small, simple packages. It's like Julianne's soulful vocals and her gently strummed acoustic guitars against all oddities, no signs of hiphop samples and overly stuffed beats – just low-key band set-up and her balmy, folkie soul musings about passionate love and heartbreaks.

Whether Julianne takes her grasp of sunshine tunes or depressing girly anthems, she succeeds to the point of exuding strong intimate moments; something you'd cuss over lame ex-boyfriends and secretly listen to the shadowy corners of your room while reminiscing sweet memories of your loved one.  Even though the lyrics are most of the time hackneyed and just mere emotional encounters, there is much to celebrate with fine songs like the ease and laidback, mellow soul grip of "Tulak ng Bibig," the only tagalog track in the album which tackles uncertainty of love and feelings or the sing-along R&B number "Queen in me" whose meek drumbeats and easy summery-feel reminds me of EBTG-circa 80's.

Although lovely and gentle, songs like "Grateful," "Choose to Believe" "Let it Rain" and "Thank you" when played consecutively, end up being cloying materials drained under the same sun and same temperature. It all sounds the same sans a bit tweaking on chord arrangements – the acoustic guitar-driven soul, the equal parts lazy equal parts breezy melodies could've been graceful if not for its repetitious quality all over the record.

But luckily, there's producer Dan Gil (Chillitees, Sino Sikat?) to save Julianne from lack of variety. On his two contributions "Unsaid" and "Healing," Dan is enable to transform Julianne into classy urban chick running amok mind-swelling 70's soul, Lauryn Hill vocal acrobatics and elegantly modern R&B, with the horn arrangements and the slicking beats as clean sweeping as cold beer suavely flowing down your tonsillitis-free throat. It's innovative songs like these that bring the best in Julianne: brave, free flowing and still as soulful as she could get.