2011-08-19
Vanessa Carlton burst onto the pop scene at the age of 22, sold two million copies of her debut record and Grammy nominations (remember "A Thousand Miles"?). Since then, her recording life has been out of the spotlight and she took some time away from recording. Hanging out with her friend, KT Tunstall (and you can hear some of her influence here), Carlton got connected with producer Steve Osborne and worked on this record, full of her musings of the last few years, including a tribute to astronomer Stephen Hawking in the final track. The piano-driven songs are emotionally wrought, the first two complete with a children's choir in the background, and often with violin, viola and cello. Check out "Carousel," "London" and "Dear California." 08/11 Michael J.GRAHAM PARKER
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