Isn’t it funny when celebrities go out of their way to add a dash of hard times and a pinch of trailer trash for that deliberate slow-cooked, down-home flavor? Well, music isn’t barbecue, folks. Like the staged, haunted-poor-white-middle-America photo on the cover, Shea Seger’s debut album "The May Street Project" never feels entirely authentic or her own. Neither will future albums until she finds her own groove and stops serving the hand-me-down recipes of past and present influences.

The Texas-born singer/songwriter describes her music as "mutt dog… bluesy pop with beats," and she’s right. It’s an eclectic mix of musical influences, including Janis Joplin and Ricky Lee Jones. Off the cuff, she sounds like Alanis Morissette’s younger sister doing her best Sheryl Crow imitation. The difference is, there’s a little less of a whine to her voice and a little less bite to her lyrics, which can actually be slightly appealing to those of us who never quite got on board either of those Top 40 trains in the first place. The twist here is that the album was mixed by fairy godmother Lauren Hill, who conspicuously reveals her own pseudonym, Commissioner Gordon, in the liner notes. (Question: Why bother having a pseudonym in the first place, Lauren?)

The album is a mix of Hill’s influence as well as others. The hip-hop inflected "Blind Situation" has a rap interlude that funks things up a bit and "May Street" has a backdrop of beats layered over gritty, Tori Amos-style ethereal ramblings. The good Commissioner Gordon also has her fingers in the mix for the sexy "Isn’t It Good", creating a moody R&B ruefulness that’s worth a listen if you’re feeling in need of a slow dance or a good Scotch. Seger later gets some help from the Toronto singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith on the soft duet "Always."

Seger’s songs oscillate between the folksy girl-next-door, a bluesy chanteuse and inner city sister, which is a difficult repartee to keep up successfully. Her lyrics suffer from the same brand of scattered ambition. The first track, "Last Time," actually made me sing along as she swears repeatedly, "If I wake up with you / it will be the last time/ And if I still adore you/ it will be the last time/ And if I stumble to you/ it will be the last time." Of course, no one’s buying those empty promises because we’ve been there too, girl.

A little less inspiring are the words that accompany the electronica swirl of "Clutch," when she breathes, "Oh no/ You got me going crazy for you, baby" Oh come on, Shea, I’ve hummed better rhymes in Mrs. Whitaker’s fourth grade poetry class! The simplistic sentiment, "I love you too much, baby/ For you to be with me" in the sixth track calls to mind that age-old, self-deprecating remark made by Groucho Marx (and later borrowed by Woody Allen) about not wanting to be part of any club that would have him as a member. Not exactly winning any awards in the original thinking category.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for giving this first timer a break. This good old girl has put together an eclectic debut that’s not half bad. But it’s not all good, either. I think it’s fair to say that much of this album shows she might prove to be a polished stone when she figures out her own voice among the quarry of influences. But don’t feel too sorry for Shea: the buzz is already surrounding her, with a recent appearance on "Late Night With Conan O’Brien" and opening gigs for David Gray in early May.