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For many listeners, Little Voice will be their first exposure to this soulful singer/songwriter, but it's actually Sara Bareilles' second record. Her first, the self-released Careful Confessions, led to a deal with Epic. Since then, Bareilles has opened for Marc Broussard and Maroon 5. She's also become a bonafide soundtrack queen with tracks featured in female-centric films Girl Play, Loving Annabelle, and Monster-in-Law. As with her out-of-print debut, the UCLA grad wrote every song on her first major label recording (Little Voice features re-worked versions of several demo numbers). Like the portrait on the back of the CD--Bareilles in strappy black dress and lace-free high-tops--the piano-playing chanteuse combines the sweet with the scruffy. While her jazzy pop melodies are radio-ready, her relationship-oriented lyrics can be unexpectedly salty ("Bottle Up" and "Come Round Soon" wouldn't pass FCC muster). A little profanity here and there, however, doesn't indicate tough-girl attitude--Amy Winehouse can rest easy--so much as a desire to express herself freely. As Bareilles explains in "Love Song," "I'm trying to let you hear me as I am." (Not surprisingly, her degree is in communications.) Fans of Sarah McLachlan and Alicia Keyes will find much to like here. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Another plinker-plunker songstress in the AC vein that threatens to fall headlong into MOR territory, especially with her 'Love Song' played to ad nauseum on the airwaves...

Ironically, there's a good chance she may have that hit single working against her eventually, and that she won't be remembered for any of the other great tunes in this album... Now that would be a real pity because her talent is unmistakeable...

With its incessant piano hook and heart-felt lyrics, "Love Song" caught my attention immediately as one of the most impressive debut singles I've heard on pop radio. So is it true with the rest of "Little Voice" which demonstrates that Sara Bareilles has an incredibly bright future ahead as a compelling chanteuse of original piano-based pop rock music (I'd like to think of her as someone with the melodic richness of a Sarah McLaughlin coupled with the sarcastic, hip lyrics and excellent musical chord writing of a Randy Newman.). Her stylistic influences range all over the map, from the fusion jazz of "Vegas" to the soft rock pop of "Love Song". Lyrically and musically, her most impressive songs include the short, but quite delightful, "Fairytale" and the memorable ballad "Gravity". "Little Voice" is a marvelous demonstration of "big talent" from a compelling young singer-songwriter from whom we will hear much of in the years ahead.

Known to most of the civilized world for her worldwide smash "Love Song", Little Voice reveals a talented pop songwriter with a lot of potential. While nothing here is as catchy as "Love Song", all of the songs here are very good. Also worth noting is that this is a tastefully produced album where the accompaniment works appropriately with the mood of each song. The tracks "Bottle It Up", "Morningside", and "Love on the Rocks" are solid pop songs with decent hooks. "Vegas" has a cool jazz feel while "Come Round Soon" starts out similar before it goes into its bouncy chorus. The strong tracks "One Sweet Love", "Between the Lines", and "Gravity" are emotional ballads highlighting Sara's soothing vocals. My personal favorite tracks next to "Love Song", are "Many the Miles" and "Fairytale", which with their arrangements and choruses remind you of Carole King. Finally, "City" is another strong ballad in both its lyrics and execution. All told, Little Voice is a very good album that is worth picking up if you're a fan of piano based pop music.

This album is mostly retakes on Sara Bareilles' initial release album, "Careful Confessions." Despite that the sounds of "Little Voice" are of a different style than her debut album. If you really liked the style of "Careful Confessions" you may be disappointed to find a slightly less punchy sound in this release.

This is a fantastic album. Definitely buy it for the "Love Song" track, but stay listening for the rest. Sara's voice is sweet, clean and powerful without being over-powering. You can feel the passion with which she sings throughout the entire album. Standout tracks include the aforementioned "Love Song," "One Sweet Love," "Come Round Soon" and "Fairytale."