SARAH BLASKO
The Overture and the Underscore
Low Altitude Records 2005
www.sarahblasko.com

Sample it here

What’s the 4-1-1?
The full-length debut release from the Australian singer-songwriter hits the U.S. shores.

Genre
Rock

The Good
Sarah Blasko has done a pretty solid job of unveiling herself to the music world with her debut release. The music veers from providing the listener with a very moody feel to the more upbeat tempo to keep the blood circulating.
She is quite adept at songs where it’s just her voice and a guitar and when it’s more of a full band. Blasko’s voice has a breathy quality to it, but unlike other artists with the same vocal style, she doesn’t sacrifice any clarity to the vocals. I enjoyed the rather understated tone of the album.

That’s not to say it was lightweight. I think it’s occasionally nice to have one of those albums that stand out as something that is a soundtrack to a quiet afternoon. I was generally surprised by the number of high quality songs here, including “Beautiful Secret,” “Always Worth It,” and “Don’t U Eva.” However, the standout track for me is the current single in her native Australia, “Perfect Now". You can check out each track on the album by checking out her website and going to the music page.

The Bad
There’s nothing overtly bad about the album. A couple of the songs are merely okay in quality, but since that’s the worst thing I can say about the album, I’m very pleased.

The Verdict
If you are like me and are a fan of female singer-songwriters, you should definitely check out The Overture and the Underscore. It’s a solid debut that is filled with the promise of so much more potential to come. Once again, I have found another new artist to add to my watch list for future material. While the music is strikingly different, Sarah Blasko reminds me a bit of one of my favorite artists, Maria McKee. For me, that is very high praise indeed.

Did You Know?
Drummer Joey Waronker cut the drum tracks for The Overture and the Underscore in between work on Paul McCartney’s new album. There is a bonus 12th track on the CD. It begins at the 10:30 mark on track 11. The CD booklet comes with the guitar chords for each song included with the lyrics.

Rating: out of 5

-- Jay Roberts