And that's just what lies ahead for the singer, who's been receiving airtime on Top 40 radio stations for two singles off "The Lover." The recent past has also been hectic, as she has appeared onstage with Prince at the Continental Arena and won "Best New Song" on the NBC show "Star Tomorrow."

In the summer of 2008, Ms. Cutillo and her band joined the Warped Tour, an alternative and rock music festival sponsored by Vans shoes. Over three weeks, the band took turns performing in an all-star lineup that included the likes of Katy Perry and Paramour. At night they would take shifts between sleeping and driving the tour bus they rented.

"It was gruelling, but I don't know where the strength comes from," Ms. Cutillo said. "I guess it's just the passion and the love."

And that's what's always kept Ms. Cutillo, who hasn't yet quit her day job, going. By day, she manages a local Borders store, but at night she trades in her uniform for clothes more suitable for the limelight: funky tops, skin-tight rocker pants and patent-leather stilettos.

Although it's been tough, Ms. Cutillo said she would not have had her life turn out any other way.

"I've been singing since I could talk," she said.

The product of a musical family, Ms. Cutillo was always encouraged to sing by her mother, who she said was once a professional singer but later focused her attention on raising a family.

While Ms. Cutillo's first glimpse of the spotlight came from performing in front of her family, she gained more experience singing in the school chorus. Now a veteran performer at local clubs such as Mulcahy's in Centereach and The Bitter End in New York City, Ms. Cutillo and her band won a shot at super stardom two years ago when they made it to the finals of Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" contest, which allowed fans to vote for songs electronically -- similar to American Idol -- to decide which act would play onstage before the big game. The band didn't win, but despite that it's been a whirlwind for them ever since.

A big reason for that has been a change in the type of music the band performs, something Ms. Cutillo said happened during the Warped Tour.

Ms. Cutillo said it was then that she became interested in experimenting in synthesizers and drum beats, which provided the catalyst for her latest album and change in style. No longer the curly-headed "Cool Ranch Rocker" -- a moniker given to her by a newspaper columnist during the "Crash the Super Bowl" contest -- Ms. Cutillo has not only changed her music, but also her look.

"Madonna has been the bible to my life as an artist," Ms. Cutillo said. "If you look at Madonna, she is constantly changing. For me, I was looking at this new sound, so it made sense to me."

Unlike her first album, which was more of an introduction to the audience, and the second, which was more about her trials and tribulations, "The Lover" focuses on having a good time. The songs are more about sex, fun and rock and roll, Ms. Cutillo said.

"This is like, let's get out on the dance floor," Ms. Cutillo said. "Let's have fun and then let's do it."

Who wouldn't remember a singer with songs like that?

peggy@northshoresun.com

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