Little Voice - Sara Bareilles

So, a fairly unknown girl from Eureka, California, who debuted in her high school’s rendition of Little Shop of Horrors, pops up on the Billboard number 1, with her first single “Love Song”.

Believe it or not, there are three other Sara Bareilles albums floating around out there, two independents and one label version that passed by fairly unnoticed. Now the question begs; what made this album rocket into the charts?

Well, have you heard the first single “Love Song”? Chances are you probably have, it’s all over the place and you can’t switch on a radio or TV without it playing somewhere. The single was first released as the free song of the week on iTunes and has since sold over and sold over 1.3 million copies. So, if you have, then you have a pretty good idea why this album has already been certified gold.

The album is jazzy, intimate and emotionally charged with a sultry upbeat love song theme running through most of the songs – although there are enough spins in the melodies for it not to become tiresome. The soulful, Motown harmonies seem to come oh-so effortlessly, as Sara unleashes vocal crescendos while pounding away at her trusty piano to produce a slightly edgy, pop-rock, piano-based album.

The second single from Little Voice, “Bottle It Up”, is smooth funk, with a strong vocal performance and powerful piano and strings. While “Love on the Rocks” is a fun love song, complete with wah-wah guitar and soulful harmonies, while the vulnerable silky smooth performance on “One Sweet Love” and “Gravity” could just about bring you to tears.