Reviews: from the Minneapolis Star Tribune by Chris Reimenschneider: Alison Scott: Singing with TLC The singer fought to add one of her favorite '90s songs on her new album, and she'll battle for much more at the release party. By CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Star Tribune Last update: September 11, 2010 - 3:36 PM For the most part, Alison Scott says it's wonderful having veteran male musicians in her backing band, especially since they're all guys who probably could be doing other things but believe in her talent. One exception so far, though, might have been when she suggested to "the boys" that they cover the classic TLC ballad "Waterfalls." The ubiquitous pop hit meant everything to a 13-year-old girl in 1995. "That's prime material from my middle- school experience, so the nostalgia factor is obviously a lot higher for me than it is for them," said Scott, 27, crediting bassist Steve Price for buying the idea right away. But she had to sell the song to drummer Peter Anderson and her guitarist, producer and manager, Kevin Bowe. "We usually cover older material, so it took some convincing. I made them at least try it. And as soon as we did, everybody loved it." "Waterfalls" wound up being one of the best tracks on Scott's most formative album to date, and it's the kind of recording that shows how this singer/pianist from the western burbs (Plymouth, to be exact) can inject ample amounts of Southern soul and muddy grit into her music despite her vanilla, middle-America background. She even surprisingly passes for a convincing rapper in her remake of the TLC song. Titled "Chinese Whispers," Scott's third album will be celebrated Saturday at the Fitzgerald Theater, another step up the venue ladder for the rock/R&B/soul singer, whose last CD party (for the new-standards disc "Hiding Under the Covers") was at the Dakota, and whose very first performance as an original songwriter was the release show for her 2007 debut album at the Varsity Theater. She's more proud of the fact that Saturday's show doubles as a breast-cancer fundraiser. Her mother is a cancer survivor and her special musical guest at the Fitz, beloved local picker Molly Maher, recently completed chemotherapy. Proceeds benefit Hope Chest, which is hosting a pre-party at nearby McNally Smith College of Music. A product of the reputable Wayzata school music programs, Scott studied musical theater and even opera after high school before applying her powerful voice to her own songs. She was studying at McNally Smith when she caught the attention of Bowe, a producer (Shannon Curfman, Renee Austin), songwriter (Jonny Lang, Etta James) and guitarist (Paul Westerberg's last tour). He was judging a songwriting competition that Scott won, and the two collaborated on her first album. "I think Kevin's plan was to make the record and send me on my way," she recalled, "but by the end of it, it was pretty clear we worked well together." Since then, Scott has also welcomed to her band Price (bassist with the Suburbs of late) and Anderson (Honeydogs, Polara). After a couple years of steady performances -- "The game plan at first was to never turn down a gig," she said -- the tight unit has manifested on CD. "Chinese Whispers" is more diverse, up-tempo and just plain rockier than her prior discs, thanks in large part to the band. Scott's backers also clearly helped boost her confidence, as she takes on a wide range of serious subjects in the new songs, including the economy ("Upside Down"), unwanted pregnancy ("Rock Me Sweetly") and fidelity (the disc opener "So Why"). "I wrote 'So Why' when I was about two weeks away from walking down the aisle, and i t's about stealing another woman's man," Scott laughingly recalled. She quickly added that the song in no way reflects her own marriage of two years: "That should tell you that a lot of what I write isn't really about my own personal life." Scott could write quite a personal song about her roller-coaster experience during another music competition in April. That's when KQRS declared her a winner in a contest to open for Bon Jovi at Xcel Energy Center, but then said she really didn't win -- and then gave her the gig anyway. The station reportedly miscounted the votes, and Jon Bon Jovi himself insisted Scott play the show. "It probably turned out better in the end, since I actually got to meet Jon Bon Jovi and earned more attention off it," Scott said. Even though she's only 1-1 in music contests, Scott can still boast of having a winning record.