CARLTON, VANESSA

Japanese version.
In 2002, Vanessa Carlton was often lumped in with Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne, who both scored hits at around the same time as Carlton's smash "A Thousand Miles." However, those in the know quickly identified her as a unique and serious talent whose work bore closer resemblance to the left-of-center stylings of Tori Amos and Suzanne Vega. The songs on her sophomore disc, HARMONIUM, were written nearly six years after those on BE NOT NOBODY, and the difference is immediately striking. A fully realized record that features lyrics of notable complexity and sensitivity, this is the type of album one can imagine smart teenage girls listening to over and over, just as their 1960s counterparts did with the early work of Joni Mitchell.
With many songs co-written by Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind (Carlton's beau), HARMONIUM further explores the same classical-piano-informed progressive pop/rock sound of her debut. However, this outing is more organic and richly textured, and the frequent string and brass arrangements serve as integral elements of the sonic landscape rather than simple embellishments. From the sparse, Fender Rhodes-driven vitriol of "C'est La Vie" to the funky hip-hop grooves and sing-along hooks of "Private Radio," Carlton's second record satisfies desires for catchy immediacy and artistic depth in equal measure.

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