CD Review: "Little Voices"

Again, I've shamelessly allowed iTunes to introduce me to another amazing artist through their evil corporate marketing strategies that I love so dearly. I was immediately grabbed by the piano sound on the catchy single, "Love Song," that's been making the rounds on "indie" radio and commercial spots for a couple months. However, Sara Bareilles is, or should be, far more than a one-hit wonder promoting satellite tv-radio.

She is an incredibly straightforward songwriter with metaphors that seem too easy from someone so young (She's only 28). Despite the title of this album, Bareilles' voice is anything but little. I have a suspicion that her quirky looks have kept her from being grabbed up by the corporate machine that would have so easily turned her into any other pop singer with a Timbaland backing track and ample cleavage. Her voice far surpasses the subtleties of just about anyone out there on the radio and when she really lets go (check out "Come Round Soon" at about 2:20), she threatens to give the Mariahs and the Whitneys out there a run for their money. Browse through the videos of her live performances and you'll find that this girl has no need for any auto-tuning that so many of these singers rely on, either.

Her piano work is definitely a product of the coffeehouse/bar circuit where she undoubtedly cut her teeth. It's beautifully layered, but simple enough to let her melodies and lyrics take center stage. The production on the album never strays too far from her piano-drums-bass-guitar equation, but just when this begins to get a little tiring, the sound takes a different color with subtle underlying synths and strings. Other than the lyrics, some of the most interesting spots on the album are the overdubbed backup vocals that Bareilles lays down as a real showcase of her ingenuity with harmony and vocal timbre. The harmonies on the chorus of "One Sweet Love" rival those of the most polished L.A. backing artists.

Standout tracks on this album include the single, "Love Song," the gospel-influenced "Many the Miles" and the exceptional pop-ballad songwriting on "Between the Lines" and "Gravity." There are several weak spots, but they are largely overshadowed by the strength of the rest of the record. While Bareilles has a keen sense of humor, her efforts at cheeky irony often come off as a more trite than insightful ("Fairytale") and while I love the funky guitar riffs on "Love on the Rocks," I wish Bareilles would feel free to let go of her singer-songwriter roots (and chord progressions) for a moment and just let the funky groove shine through on that song. I can only hope that this exceptional artist continues to move in new directions and releases a follow-up as soon as humanly possible.
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