Though the cover photos on ANGEL depict Amanda Perez as a tough, Timberland-sporting gangsta tomboy in the vein of Missy Elliot, the music reveals the vocalist/rapper to be an expert crooner of smoothly seductive heartache songs. If Perez's rhymes are perhaps a bit stilted, her singing is just the opposite, her voice possessing an appealing emotional honesty and sense of melancholy that's unusual among her peers. What really sets this Latina apart from other female hip-hop artists, though, is the fact that she produced, wrote, and arranged every song and played virtually every instrument on ANGEL herself.
Perez's East Coast production style is nicely sparse, placing the emphasis on her sweetly fragile voice and subtle hooks. Lyrically, ANGEL is a breakup album, and Perez is unafraid of her laying her insecurities and hurt feelings out for the world to see. This willingness to reveal herself as a real human being, combined with her astounding musicality, allows Amanda Perez to connect with her listeners in a profound and satisfying manner.