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Sara Bareilles Puts “Heart” Into Songwriting

The singer/songwriter movement isn’t dead—it’s gone pop. Mainstream success is hard to achieve, but sometimes, a talented artist emerges with a hit that puts them on the charts. For Sara Bareilles, that hit was 2007’s “Love Song” off her major label debut, Little Voice. Now in 2010, she has released her follow-up, Kaleidoscope Heart, in hopes of catching ears once more.

Sure, her commercial success is probably a turnoff to music snobs, but it’s hard to ignore Bareilles’s talent. While her previous album was more Jack Johnson meets Norah Jones, perhaps with a hint of Regina Spektor, her new release mixes it up. It’s easy to compare Bareilles to peers like Ingrid Michaelson, with whom she worked on the holiday tune “Winter Song,” but her success is greater. She is also one of the handful of mainstream pop stars to write original songs.

Kaleidoscope Heart opens with an a cappella track of the same name, which serves as a beautiful, harmonic introduction to the album as well as to the upbeat “Uncharted,” from which “kaleidoscope heart” is actually taken. Bareilles shows her amazing voice and an ear for harmony up front with the intro then proves on “Uncharted” that she can force herself out of writers’ block into some great lyrics—a problem she faced when going into writing the album.

“Gonna Get Over You” also features some great, bubbly piano pop—simple chords and snaps give the song a bouncy vibe that make it impossible not to want to dance and sing along to the chorus. The slower “Hold My Heart” is a bit over-the-top in terms of mainstream catchiness with its R&B beats, but the lyrics keep it sincere. Both are perfectly radio-friendly for different reasons, making it obvious that Bareilles has learned a lot from her exposure to the big time.

The single “King of Anything” works as a follow-up to her hit “Love Song” in its attitude, especially in the line, “Who died and made you king of anything?” Bareilles calls it her “f*** you song,” but though it’s driven by thick piano chords and sarcasm, it also features a surprising, bright-sounding trumpet and electric guitar duo in the background—it’s clear that she wants to experiment more in instrumentation, and it’s working well.

“Say You’re Sorry” is a great follow-up, featuring even more biting lyrics and thick piano chords—she seems to not want to dwindle on long-running strings of piano melodies, choosing punchier notes to get her point across. The song echoes Ben Folds’s song “You Don’t Know Me” in style and snark, which is obvious since Bareilles has sung live with him on that song.

“The Light” is a great inspirational love song with a positive feeling and an enticing musical build. Her soft piano playing is overpowered by bright lyrics and strong vocals that obviously drive the song along with the growing, dance-like drum beats. This song will definitely win over hearts of those who love emotional ballads.

A simple harmonica and acoustic guitar on “Basket Case” give the track a laid-back country vibe, while the clappy, punchy chorus on “Let the Rain” gives it the feel of a driving song, though it’s actually about letting out emotions. “Machine Gun” then brings us into a doo-wop shuffle that builds into another big, inspirational chorus, begging a boy to let down his guard. “Not Alone” features a jazzy guitar and drum shuffle that gives the track a dark yet sensual feel.

Reminiscent of the ballad “Gravity” from Little Voice, “Breathe Again” features slow, emotional piano playing and beautifully layered harmonies over softly building drums. The piano and harmonized vocals continue on “Bluebird,” which is reminiscent of something by Sarah McLachlan. Only here at the end does Bareilles strip down to just a simple piano with some light strings and soft harmonies, but it leaves us with a nice, peaceful closer.

Kaleidoscope Heart features Bareilles’s piano skills and strong voice as well as her pop/soul style, but this time around, she’s experimenting with fuller instrumentation and varied styles. All comparisons aside, it’s obvious that she is a talented songwriter and can hold her own with sincere, sometimes sarcastic but never mediocre lyrics, proving that it’s still possible to be successful and original—all she has to do is go a little more mainstream while still holding true to herself. Sara Bareilles, in fact, might just be a musical savior for the craft of songwriting.

Kaleidoscope Heart, Bareilles’s second major release but third overall album, is in stores now, and she will be playing Webster Hall in New York on November 10.

Visit www.allmediany.com for more on music!

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