Singer and songwriter, Vanessa Carlton’s newest record Heroes & Thieves picks up where her last album left off yet does not continue to head in that same direction. There are plenty of pop songs, but also just as many songs that don’t fit the traditional radio song format.

Just like many of the other songs on the record “Come Undone” starts off slow and then adds a faster pace somewhere after the intro. The song gets going with a drum driven verse and over it she spits out the lyrics to keep the song interesting. I could have done with out the
40 second of ambient sounds before the song actually starts but “Come Undone” is pulled off nicely.

I never realized how much Stevie Nicks and Vanessa Carlton’s styles over lapped, and even though both singers could have pulled off the song “The One” individually, it benefits from having the two artists together. The ballad like track is a stand out one which keeps building until it hits its stride towards the end.

This record had a darker feeling than Vanessa Carlton’s past albums and I think it’s in the lyrics rather than the music. Previous efforts had an theme of innocence and “Heroes & Thieves” has less of a wide eyed lyrical approach. “Nolita Fairytale” is a good example with the
line “Take away my record deal, go on I don’t need it…”.

The beginning of the album would have to be the stronger half with potential hit song after hit song. The pop singer definitely has proven over and over again that she can write a good song and album. “Heroes & Thieves” is no exception and overall a solid release despite some minor flaws.n (ap)

MP3 | Vanessa Carlton – Come Undone
MP3 | Vanessa Carlton – Nolita Fairytale

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