You might have heard a song that goes "I'm not gonna write you a love song, 'cos you asked for it..." on the radio or seen it on the telly, and thought, "say, this is a good tune" but never really sought out the artist. The brilliant mind, voice, and hands, on that song is none other than Sara Bareilles who brought us Little Voice, her debut album on a major label, way back in 2007. Love Song (mentioned above) garnered the attention of the buying public and shot Sara Bareilles to mainstream success as it hit #1 in Canada and the Billboard Pop 100. I should warn you though, since Sara is one of my favorite artists, expect a lot of quotes from her songs.

Love Song, her first single off the album, was a request from her label, Epic, asking Sara to write a "marketable love song" rather than one about an actual person. It's piano-heavy, like most of her tracks, and very easy to listen to, which makes it a great, fun, record. Vegas has Sara imagining life in other places from her LA perspective. She croons, "No fame, no money, I'm nobody" so she decides to go to Vegas to find these things. Sara implicates the feeling of getting a record deal in Bottle It Up, where she says, "I do it for love, love" and "only one good thing worth trying to be and it's love". One Sweet Love is a beautiful song where Sara trades her piano for a guitar, and the lyrics showcase Sara's brilliant songwriting techniques.

As most might not know, most of the songs in Little Voice were taken from Sara's debut album Careful Confessions and were rerecorded. Come Round Soon had quite a rework on its arrangement and was given an Epic makeover, resulting in a darker, more soulful sound. One of the most memorable lines from Little Voice comes from Morningside, with its addictive chorus going, "I could rage like a fire, you'd bring rain I desire". Amazing songwriting, once more.

Between the Lines has beautiful piano strokes, almost mesmerising when coupled with the wistful lyrics. Simply enough, Love On The Rocks talks about, well... "you plus me is bad news". That line says it all. Brilliant song and Sara Bareilles turns to an amalgam of pop, jazz, and soul. City is one of those very soulful, heartfelt songs, and with lines like "There's nothing here to hold onto, could I hold you?", you can't help but fall in love with the song. Fairytale takes a stab at the 'damsel in distress' genre and mocks prince charming with Sara saying he's "only handsome in hindsight".

The album ender is definitely/undoubtedly/absolutely/certainly/positively the best track in the album. Gravity is about Sara's first major heartbreak (now, now, before you say it's just one of those songs) and from the stunning piano strokes, to the verses, the chorus, the bridge... it's one of the most heartwrenching songs I've heard. Simple yet grandiose in the sense of its musicality, and how the song is very emotional but the implication in it is so natural and subtle. It's THAT good.

I'd like to apologise for the rather lengthy review, but an album with THIS much potential deserves an even longer one even three years after its release. Unfortunately, for some reason, Little Voice failed to chart, and I must say it's quite a loss for those who haven't heard of Sara Bareilles and her wonderful music.