|
| REVIEWS |
Anna
Nalick
Wreck of the Day
(Columbia)
Yet another songstress added to the surplus of crooning folksy
pop singer-songwriters, Anna Nalick summons the catchiest of
melodies and the indie-cool street cred of Southern California
to create Wreck of the Day, her debut into the world
of the music industry. With influences from Fiona Apple to Tori
Amos, Anna formulates her own version of such popular genres
of pop chick rock using, of course, lyrics detailing the more
poignant moments of her life.
As most chick pop rock goes, Wreck of the Day is relatable
to the every-girl, pleasant to listen to, gets stuck in your
head, and is non-offensive to the parental ear—a great
stocking stuffer! It’s the stuff you’ll hear on
the radio as she’s nominated for Grammy after Grammy.
Yet it fails to make a lasting impression. It’s the “nice
CD” in the rack. It’s pleasant and polite and has
potential, yet not anything anyone will be scrambling to get
to. In fact, it’s so polite and non-offensive that you
feel like you must be courteous to it in return.
Sounds kind of like Vanessa Carlton, Sarah Mclachlan, Michelle
Branch, Tori Amos and Maria Mena rolled into one generic emotional
hopeful—a lucky lady who, in the eyes of music industry
hounds, had dollar signs twinkling from every soulful chord
and catchy hook. And good for her; her dream of being a performer
and singer-songwriter is fast coming true. The great thing about
Anna Nalick is the versatility that comes with being the “nice
CD.” She can’t really receive any of the flak that
singers like Britney Spears or Pop Diva #-whatever do since
she writes her own stuff, and her voice ain’t too shabby
either. It’s soulful and airy but not too much of either,
and it’s wracked with emotion but not to the dreaded emotional
extent. The only problem with ultra-versatility is that there
is no distinctive trait that makes the music unique. It’s
well done but lacks a signature. And all music deserves a signature.
Reviewed by
Sable Yong
January 24th, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
