A mainstream marshmallow with an acidic coating worth a lick.
The churning beige waters of the folk-based female singer-songwriter are deep and lucrative indeed, but tough to distinguish oneself amidst. A kooky edge and vocal inventiveness has helped Regina Spektor gain distinctive colour, Shania Twain made billions by delving sporadically into country pop and Tori Amos has done surprisingly well out of playing the pig-suckling nutjob.
Sara Bareilles – high school contemporary of Maroon 5 and native of the fittingly named Californian town of Eureka – has shifted a million units by spinning on a precise mid-point of all of these approaches (although her 2007 iTunes-giveaway megasmash Love Song certainly helped). And this third album continues her undizzy pirouette. "I’m just a basket case, that’s what I do," she croons – remarkably sanely – on Basket Case, neatly setting out her quirkstress stall according to the first rule of Freaky Fem-Folking for Idiots. King of Anything bitches along joyfully, lobbing barbs and put-downs at an arrogant beau with all the sneery sass of That Don’t Impress Me Much. And the radio-nuzzling choruses are dolloped on generously: Not Alone lilts along with a jazzy skip redolent of Lily Allen, while Uncharted stabs Spektorishly at a piano along to Feist-y country pop hooks. Hooks that intensify on Gonna Get Over You, which might as well be called Man, I Feel Like Shania.
Lees de rest van deze review op BBC CD recensies (Engels)
Bron: BBC Music