It's not often that a brilliant young singer gets to work with her chief influences on her first shot out of the park, but
Anna Nalick
's irresistible blend of crisply poetic lyrics, haunting melodies, rich sense of harmony, and ethereal ambience merits nothing less. On the
rock
side, she grew up a huge fan of
Blind Melon
, and former members
Christopher Thorn
and
Brad Smith
produce her debut with
Eric Rosse
-- best known for his work with another obvious inspiration,
Tori Amos
. As strong a presence as she creates as an artist on airy, symphonic piano-based instant hits like
"Breathe (2 AM)"
and the mournful,
country
-flavored title track, she is hindered slightly by over-production on rockers like
"Citadel"
"In the Rough."
has a cool, dark-toned
Fiona Apple
vibe, but its powerful guitar textures and trippy sound effects obscure
Nalick
's precious voice, which is better served by more subtle surroundings, as on another standout,
"Forever Love."
To her credit,
seems game for both approaches, and will probably score numerous hits with each style, but it's a shame anytime a voice like that is obscured for even a moment. Despite this, she is a rare new shining star in the realm of female
singer/songwriters
, a deserving heir to the thrones of
Amos
Apple
. ~ Jonathan Widran