Rising star Jessica Ashley.

The Lava Lizard’s Burning Up feature has highlighted the talents of rappers for the last pair of segments but now it’s time to showcase a different type of artist. Yet, does singer Jessica Ashley have the vocal chops to capture your attention?

Jessica will release her ‘Prelude’ EP in May and the set is preceded by her debut video, ‘Souvenir’. If you want to know how she sounds then just imagine Leona Lewis with a slight R&B twist. Watch Jessica’s ‘Souvenir’ below:

Jessica has a great voice and it’s obvious that she could do a lot more than what ‘Souvenir’ has showcased. In fact, judging by the current state of music today, she will certainly have to develop a grittier sound if she wants to make an impact on the charts.

Of course, by adopting a different approach does not entail doing Dance/Pop. Jessica has the type of voice to do R&B records and it would be great to hear her attempting songs big ballads that will allow her to flex her vocal ability.

Thoughts?