Fires

by

Nerina Pallot

Edit

Only heard of Nina a couple of weeks ago when EGTW was mentioned as being #1 in a writer's playlist in a USA Today article.

Ordered this album from Amazon and have been playing it constantly ever since. Damascus is my favorite song. Really shows off her beautiful voice and great tune.

I've seen her called "the new Carol King" and that drew me to her because I'm a long time Carol fan, but I would say she is more similar to Sarah MacLachlan and Tori Amos.

EDIT:

After listening to this for the past few weeks, I've become more and more enamored of Nerina's beautiful music.

Damascus I listen to over and over. When I finally decide to go to the next track I get stuck on repeating Idaho for awhile. I think these two songs could really win Nerina some US fans and would promote those for US radio listening.

For deeper cuts I would add

Learning to Breathe

Geek Love

All Good People

and Halfway Home

I would avoid pushing Everybody's Gone To War. Why get in the middle of political squabbles as a newly introducted artist. Let fans discover it on their own.

Songs like Mr. King grow on me the more I hear them. Not a weak song on the entire album. One of the strongest albums I've heard in awhile. Nerina's voice is like another instrument and reminds me of Dave Matthews in that regard. I find myself listening to their voices for months before I ever get curious enough to see what the actual words to the song are. Then I find a deeper appreciation of the interesting, emotional lyrics.

If you're a serious modern rock/alternative music fan. Don't miss listening to this album at least once!

Nerina Pallot is an intelligent, literate songwriter with an ear for a good melody and much of her new album Fires is about a complex personality trying to navigate the worlds many complexities.

Opener 'Everybody's Gone To War' would have been nicely cast for the opening credits of Mike Moore's recent movie Fahrenheit 9-11, it somehow seems to capture the utter senselessness of war in the form of a catchy, upbeat pop song.

The big production number 'Idaho' sees Nerina Pallot at her most convincing - it's a powerful, surging song about packing up and starting afresh, all the while knowing you can't run from your problems. For me, Idaho is the pick of the bunch - you could just imagine it being a monster hit for someone like Kelly Clarkson (thankfully it's not).

Elsewhere listening to Fires can feel like a game of pick the influences, Carole King and Tori Amos often come to mind, and whether by accident or design 'Damascus' is pure Aimee Mann.

Fires may not be a masterpiece but there is definitely enough quality in these 11 songs to commend it and fans of the likes of Sarah Harmer should feel right at home.