Arrica Rose's Let Alone Sea

Another surprise from a record that looks like dime-a-dozen, standard-issue female-centric songwriter pop, but actually stands a good head or two taller than the competition. Arrica has a lovely, slightly hoarse soprano, full of shadow and nuance, touched at the edges with blues. Her songs are world-weary beauties, a sigh and a shrug built into airy melodies...and her band, the dot dot dots (as in Arrica Rose and the ...) is quite good, too, in a casual, natural way. There are quite a few comparisons floating around for Arrica's voice, but I'm thinking Cyndi Lauper for the rasp, Lisa Germano for the floating clarity.

Here's the video of Arrica's oddball mash-up of the first-ever song played on MTV plus Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World." (This is, BTW, probably the weakest song on the album, but that's what she's leading with.)


I like "If the World Won't Bend," better, don't you?


And, just for fun, the Buggles' version of "Video Killed the Radio Star"