Girl power on the airwaves

If you are tired of the vocal calisthenics of Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera, the derivative style of the girls of American Idol and sweetness of young Disney divas, here are some albums by new female talents. Low-keyed, fresh, intelligent and introspective are the keywords here. These artists also share sweet, expressive vocals and the daring to stay true to their styles, even if they miss the hit charts. Think along the lines of Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae, but each in her own way, is different.

These albums are among the best I’ve heard recently. There is a lot that can be said about the songs and the artists. They deserve to be heard. I had wanted to do a long piece about each one but decided against it. These CDs have been in the market for some months now and I thought I should get this piece out fast before the albums get taken off the shelves to make space for another screaming diva. My fault. I should have listened to them sooner. But late is better than never.

Stacie Orrico was a tween princess who impressed listeners with her Christian songs. Remember (There’s Gotta Be) More to Life and Stuck? Then she disappeared and was not heard from again until this album came out. Stacie is now grown-up with a big girl sound more R ’n B than pop. Beautiful Awakening is her comeback bid.

Quiet is the way I would describe the over-all feel of Beautiful Awakening. However the pretty melodies frame strong messages her young fans can easily relate to. Best cuts are I’m Not Missing You, Babygirl, Don’t Ask Me to Stay and Beautiful Awakening.

Easy, seductive style

That is also Regina Spektor accompanying herself on the piano in Begin to Hope. She was the same Russian girl behind the much-acclaimed Soviet Kitsch, which I don’t think I ever saw in the local stores. Anyway, Begin to Hope is a good introduction to Spektor’s music. Like Orrico, her voice is also her strong point but she takes more risks and mixes music types with an easy, seductive style.

Although a multi-instrumentalist and capable arranger, Spektor prefers to keep the music in Begin to Hope nearly bare with only occasional star turns like her piano in 20 Years of Snow. Her Fidelity has the makings of a hit single but On The Radio and Field Below might turn out to be the most enduring.

From the basement

Sandi Thom is the singer who webcast to the world from her Tooting basement. Thom had an album but no label backing for a promo tour. So she decided to put up her own. She announced on the Net that she will be performing from her basement and it will be open to the public all over the world via webcast. The show was a success and Sandi got her record deal.

Her first album is Smile…It Confuses People. With her perky personality and gnarled tones, Thom is closer to Lily Allen than to Jones or Rae. The best thing she has going for her is that she works the commercial hooks of her songs better than any of those dames do. Her songs are the kind you unconsciously sing along with, most especially Wish I was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair) and What If I’m Right.

Soft and jazzy

The sound of Madeleine Peyroux is soft and jazzy. She resides somewhere between Ella and Norah, effortlessly takes standards and makes them her own. Have you ever wondered what Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind or Fred Neil’s Everybody’s Talking would sound like if done by a female voice? Wonder no more because Madeleine has done that and delivered the goods beautifully. The album is named after the Leonard Cohen classic Half the Perfect World. It also includes Blue Alert, A Little Bit, Once in a While, (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night, La Javanaise, California Rain and the Chaplin goodie Smile.

Listening to it gave me an unexpected wake-upper. The first cut, I’m All Right is about a man who sings Christmas songs in bed. Some tinkling notes from Jingle Bells introduce and end River, the Joni Mitchell composition she performs here as a duet with k. d. lang. Peyroux was thinking of Christmas. Then later in the day I heard a DJ counting out the days till Christmas. As of this issue there are only 145 days to go. How time flies.