Carlton proves she's somebody
on 'Be Not Nobody'
By Jason C. Consolacion
Daily Cougar Staff
At the age of 21, Vanessa Carlton has a
little growing up to do. She has a hit single in "A Thousand Miles" that
is garnering plenty of airplay, she
has a video to go along with that song
with the infectious hook and she has a new album on A&M Records.
Photo courtesy of A&M
Records
Though dark and gloomy, Vanessa
Carlton's debut album displays the potential and undeniable talent of the
young artist.
But as far as her talent is concerned,
albeit good and evident, Carlton has plenty of growing up to do. Her debut
album Be Not Nobody features
11 tracks that show the potential of a
young and developing songwriter. Carlton's talent as a musician is there
for all to see, but the substance of
her material is, on the surface, uninspiring
and adolescent.
Now, she is only 21 and she probably wrote
these songs years ago. But since record executives have opted to throw
the young Carlton out there
so soon, her listeners are caught in the
middle of the artist's maturation process from "little girl who likes to
write songs" to "artist."
"A Thousand Miles" is the perfect candidate
for Carlton's debut single. It's snappy. It's catchy. It gives all the
Britney and 'NSync buyers an
alternative at the record store — something
with a little more substance.
Carlton's Jewel-Fiona Apple-Tori Amos approach
to her songs gives her a chance to ride the airwaves alongside fellow piano
diva Alicia Keys,
but perhaps a change in creative direction
may boost her momentum.
"Ordinary Day" is similar to the first
single, featuring an alternative 6/8 feel and another hook. A full orchestra
is again featured on this original, in
addition to most of the other songs on
the album.
"Unsung" features a more aggressive approach
for Carlton while her tiny, cute voice seeps through the instrumentation
of piano, guitars, drums
and orchestra.
"Pretty Baby," gives the album its second
"single-quality" song. With a sweet melody soaring over a delicate pop
ballad feel, Carlton croons a
little tune that will have girls dreaming
about their boyfriends and how perfect they could be.
The rest of the album is, well, pretty
depressing. Carlton's lyrics deal with both the physical and emotional
stress of relationships, teenage angst
and all the elements involved in growing
up during the late '90s.
Her songs paint dark colors of gloom while
her tiny voice appears to weep through her crying melodies. "Rinse" and
"Paradise" create the
darkest pictures on Carlton's album, both
dealing with seas of tears and broken hearts.
A Rolling Stones cover doesn't help Carlton's
cause as she chooses to include her rendition of "Paint It Black," a rather
dismal song in itself.
What makes these dark songs so unattractive
is the fact that it is Carlton — the sweet little girl playing the piano
on the back of a moving truck in
her video — singing these gloomy compositions.
Just picturing the cute little thing writing these songs is depressing
in itself. But sometimes, it
takes the most heartbreaking events in
one's life to create the most talented artists.
Carlton is a good pianist and an impressive
singer. She has a knack for writing well-structured songs and her knowledge
of theory and her
liberties on the piano bring out the best
in her. It's her sweet voice that brings her innocence and maturity to
the forefront.
But it's obvious Carlton is in the business
to become a star. Besides her talent, she's also a very beautiful girl.
She's a cross between Leelee
Sobieski and Jennifer Aniston — something
most guys wouldn't be able to resist.
But if she hopes to build on her success,
something a little more inspiring would be welcome. Be Not Nobody is a
good foundation for her to
build on.
