"Yesterday was pretty busy," states RCA’s latest hopeful Charlotte Martin on an early morning line from her home in L.A. "I was melting away shooting a video for the song ‘Your Armor’, dressed in a woollen coat over my clothes in 95 degree heat. In the end it was so hot I went commando under the woollen coat! Ha Ha.

"As we were filming in a forest, there were flies everywhere. The shots had to constantly be retaken, because I kept on smacking my face to get rid of the flies. I’m sure the outtakes are going to be pretty funny!"

Charlotte has just released her first record under the RCA deal, an EP entitled ‘In Parenthesis’, that is the precursor to a full-blown album currently being recorded for the label. But who is this fun loving blonde who attacks a piano in a manner that has led her to pick up comparisons to Tori Amos, Vanessa Carlton and even, according to my girlfriend Jo, Paula Cole?

Amusingly described as a ‘not-so-closet Goth with bleach-blonde hair’ and with a penchant for concocting some quite emotionally laden songs that cross a goth feel with melodic rock and pop, Martin grew up in Charleston, Illinois and first studied opera. She ultimately chose to take piano lessons and wound up at Eastern Illinois University, where her father is a music professor.

It was while she was attending University that things changed, in no small part due to a number of fairly traumatic experiences. In particular, Charlotte lost two friends through suicide in the same year. One happened to be her then boyfriend's sister. The girl was also her best friend. The first song Charlotte ever wrote was for her funeral.

After leaving college she, like many before her with dreams of making it to the big-time, went to California

"I made the initial move to Los Angeles because of a guy I was dating. I’d met him in Las Vegas. So, I went to L.A. and he wound up leaving me in a hotel with a $1000 dollar bill to pay and I never saw him again!

"So, I went back to Illinois, but decided to go back to L.A. and really make a go of it. "

Charlotte was originally signed to Bong Load Records, a label that ironically held links to RCA. She recorded ‘One Girl Army’ - produced by Tom Rothrock (Beck, Foo Fighters) - but it remains unreleased.

"It was a really interesting record," she says. "I was given the opportunity to go make an indie album. But, like a lot of indie labels, it folded. "

Undeterred, Charlotte has released a couple of records since through her website and Cdbaby.com, the more recent release of the two (2002’s ‘Testdrive Songs', the previous record was titled ‘Mystery Magic Seeds’) being still available and a record that she describes as a shortened version of ‘One Girl Army’.

She also contributed ‘Bring On the Day to the soundtrack of the ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ movie.

So, what about those comparisons that looms over her head? Do they bother her?

"I don’t care at all!" she laughs. "I’m very open about it. Tori Amos is the groundbreaking piano girl, but I’m just trying to do what I do best. And that’s to be sensitive and poetic and be me in my music."

Charlotte admits to loving Tori Amos’ ‘Little Earthquakes’ album and also cites Kate Bush as an inspiration. PJ Harvey, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple, Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, Peter Gabriel, Kip Winger and The Cure are added to the list. Indeed, she is such a fan of Robert Smith and The Cure that she wants to visit his home town of Crawley, West Sussex on a proposed trip to London, in which she planned to do some extra recording work over here!

Incidentally, she’d love to live in England one day. She feels it suits her personality!

As with the EP, her new album is being co-produced with Ken Andrews. Ken is better known as the brains behind Failure and On. He’s also an in demand producer, having worked on records by such diverse artists as Pete Yorn, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tenacious D and A Perfect Circle. He presently fronts the excellent, Elektra signed Year Of The Rabbit.

Much of the work is being conducted in her home studio. But how did she hook up with Ken in the first place?

"When On were signed to Epic, Ken’s A&R guy at the label wanted to sign me. I was a huge Failure fan. Ken was mixing the Tenacious D album in a nearby studio and I asked this guy from Epic if I could meet Ken. It’s not something I usually do, but, anyway, we became friends and he’s been helping me ever since."

Charlotte has recorded around 18 songs for the record – including ‘Everytime It Rains’, ‘Love Is Everywhere’, ‘Snowflake’, ‘Up All Night’ (not a Slaughter cover!) and ‘Step Back’ – intending to narrow that figure down to twelve for the final running order. The album is slated for release early in the New Year.

Clearly, Charlotte Martin is a woman of many talents. Remember where you read about her first.

Pictures courtesy by kind permission of Charlotte Martin