GenQ - For the not so straight individual

In 2002 when Vanessa Carlton scored her breakout hit, ‘A Thousand Miles’ from her debut album ‘Be Not Nobody’, she, alongside other new female musicians like Michelle Branch, became part of the ‘Britney Backlash’. They played their own instruments, wrote their own songs, all without the aid of Auto-tune. However, despite three Grammy nominations, Vanessa Carlton became a one-hit wonder, releasing her second album in 2004 to little fanfare. Unfortunately for her, the latest offering of melodic piano pop, ‘Heroes & Thieves’ continues the lackluster trend.

After the commercial failure of her second album, ‘Harmonium’, Carlton split from her record company and signed with The Inc. Records, an unlikely pairing considering her label boss is hip-hop impresario Irv Gotti, responsible for hits from Ashanti, Ja Rule and DMX. Gotti co-produced the album but don’t expect even a hint of R&B or urban sounds, as Carlton sticks to her tried and true formula of slightly bent piano pop and syncopated melodies. Linda Perry, who helped deliver Pink’s breakthrough sophomore album, ‘M!ssunderstood’ and Christina Aguilera’s similarly revealing, ‘Stripped’, also lends her producing talents to the album, as does Carlton’s now ex-boyfriend, former Third-Eye Blind member Stephan Jenkins, in what I can only assume became a very awkward working situation. But even with all those emotions swirling around, Carlton fails to establish any kind of connection with the listener, resulting in forgettable tracks that aren’t the sum of their parts.

‘Heroes & Thieves’ is all about love – being in love, love lost, loving yourself and loving your life. Lead track, ‘Nolita Fairytale’ is a rollicking love-letter to Carlton’s Manhattan neighbourhood, and an affirmation of the simple wonders in her life. The first single off the album, it’s the most commercial, though it still falls short of being a stand-out. Carlton’s mentor, the legendary Stevie Nicks, contributes backing vocals and much needed depth to torch song, ‘The One’. By far the worst track on the album, ‘This Time’, attempts a Carole King sound but the grating vocal often sounds out of tune. The soaring ‘Fools Like Me’ provides a rare highlight, as does ‘Home’, her most emotionally connected track about finding comfort in the one you love, with a stirring piano solo and emotive strings that help elevate the track.

But it’s that emotional connection that’s missing throughout ‘Heroes & Thieves’. Most of the album feels empty, as on the somber, ‘Spring Street’, a bittersweet story of moving on from love that lacks the intensity it needs. While I can’t fault her songwriting or musical abilities, Carlton’s vocals too often sound immature and flat, and don’t quite sync with the drama or intensity of her music and lyrics. While it’s easy to slip the other way and try too hard, à la Jessica Simpson, Carlton’s voice doesn’t have the power to pull you into the song and not let go until the final beat, perhaps the reason that commercial success has eluded her.

I do admire Carlton for never making the obvious choice with her music and taking the easy route to pop success. Her songs aren’t the typical pop construction. They don’t build where you expect them to build and her syncopated melodies and stream of consciousness lyrics are far from typical. But sometimes it’s to the song's detriment. Closing track, ‘More Than This’, should have been an uplifting life-affirming anthem, but the sparing use of the choir fails to get it far enough off the ground. It still works, but it doesn’t soar like it could have. And that’s the problem with ‘Heroes & Thieves’.