The Next Best Thing! (Little Voice - Sara Bareilles)

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Little Voice - Sara Bareilles
Date:	19/07/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Creative lyrics, artistic tunes, piano, voice

Disadvantages: There's no way to get her previous album, and no others on the market yet!

For someone who considers themselves a discerning music lover, it can sometimes be embarrassing to admit that they actually enjoy an album that's been classified as being in the pop genre. This is mostly because the definition of pop music is catchy tunes and easily remembered lyrics, which usually means inane and simplistic. Still, not all pop is alike, and thankfully, Sara Bareilles' debut album "Little Voice" has much more going for it than the usual fare, no matter what genre is on the package.

The things that set Sara's music apart from the bubblegum singers are twofold - catchy tunes that have a jazz/blues influences, and intelligent lyrics that have twists to them. Take the lyrics in her singles, for instance. Both "Love Song" and "Bottle it up" have an edge to them. In the former, she says she's not going to write a love song if that's what's going to keep them from leaving her. In the latter, she actually makes fun of pop songs in the opening by saying "there are girls across the nation who will eat this up", and then puts an off-rhythm rap-like verse in the middle. By the way, apparently "Love Song" was written in response to her record company wanting her to write a hit tune! So there you go - a truly ironic song, because she didn't want to write a hit, and yet it was her first smash.

Even her quieter songs and ballads "Gravity", "City", "Between the Lines" and "One Sweet Love", Sara shines with particularly emotional lyrics combined with a strong piano accompaniment, into which she mixes some carefully controlled acoustic guitar. Of course, I find nothing more appealing than a good piano line in songs, and Sara gives us plenty of that, especially in these softer songs. This, along with her strong voice is something that puts her in a more sophisticated league than the usual pop singer/songwriters. And what a voice it is, with a rich lower register that can both growl and purr, plus an upper register that's never screechy, no matter if it's sweet or strong.

She can also go harsher with songs like "Vegas", which is probably the bluesiest of all the tracks here. That blues bit spills over into the still jazzy "Come 'Round Soon", which starts out and ends with her saying she could use another cigarette but "don't worry daddy, I'm not addicted yet". This song tells of a toxic relationship where she can't help wanting to see someone who obviously treats her badly, and when she belts out "who need angels, anyway" you can really feel her pain. Then she shows a lighter side of the blues with "Love on the Rocks" with a lighter sounding tune and lyrics that say "my friends say I look better without you". This problematic relationship also comes into another bluesy song "Morningside", which again showcases her piano ability, but is probably the most creative musically, with both key and tempo changes. Then she takes that blues and throws in a little gospel-like chorus with "Many the Miles". Talk about variety and creativity - there's nothing at all boring or monotone here.

Probably the best example of Sara's artistry (and my favourite song on the album) is her song "Fairytale", with its up-beat syncopated melody that tells its listeners that she doesn't "care for your fairytale love". Here Sara looks at whether four famous characters really did live "happily ever after". Using Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel, Sara points out that life isn't perfect, even in fairytales, no matter how idyllic it might have seemed at the onset. As for the tune, while I consider myself fairly musical, and this song is terribly catchy, I also notice that without her behind me, I can't easily replicate this song. Moreover, she throws in her own jazzy riffs throughout the song, and then slows the tempo down for her conclusion of saying that these stories "need some mending and a better happy ending" because she doesn't want "your next best thing". I suggest you check out the YouTube video of an acoustic version of this song (link below) which is as equally great as the produced version on the album.

As you can see, there's little if anything wrong with this album, if you ask me, and the only reason why I can see it being classified as pop is because it's bound to be a truly popular album. Sara's voice has a gymnast's agility, while her songs equal that by ranging from graceful to bouncy to strong. Her lyrics are creative and thought provoking, sometimes bordering on the poetic, while other times being amusing (but never cutesy). The album as a whole is the type of thing you'll want to listen to if you're already in a good mood, just to keep it up. Of course, if you're a bit down, this album is sure to cheer you as well. In all, I'd say this is a truly great collection of songs. If this is the future of pop singer/songwriters, then I say bring them on. Sara Bareilles' debut "Little Voice" is a real winner, and gets a high recommendation and five out of five stars from me.

Thanks for reading!

Davida Chazan © July, 2009

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Technical Stuff:

Sara's official site can be found at www.sarabmusic.com and includes about all the information about Sara you could ever want to know. Many of the songs here also appeared on her previous, non-commercial album "Careful Confessions", which I can't find available anywhere for any reasonable price (I think people are considering it a collector's item), but the songs not here can be heard on-line at http://www.last.fm/music/Sara+Bareilles/Careful+Co nfessions.

That YouTube clip I mentioned can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqejXw4-4zE and I suggest you also look at some of the other acoustic and stripped versions of songs from this album - they're marvelous!

You can buy this new on Amazon for £4.98 or through their marketplace from £2.47, and I think you can also download the album as MP3s from the USA site.

For my pedants, here is the track listing from the album:
* Love Song
* Vegas
* Bottle It Up
* One Sweet Love
* Come Round Soon
* Morningside
* Between the Lines
* Love on the Rocks
* City
* Many the Miles
* Fairytale
* Gravity
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Summary: Sara Bareilles' first commercial album is a pleasure through and through.