Album Review: She by Alice Smith

Smith works a nether region 'twixt Beyoncé and Norah Jones, no doubt why she wound up in major-label limbo after her eclectic 2006 debut. The equally adventurous follow-up lands in a new R&B world that embraces oddballs like Janelle Monáe and Santigold, whose stylistic freestyles Smith beat to market. She does sultry and cool well. But the hotter – see the Nina Simone-conjuring "She" – the better.

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In 2006, Alice Smith released For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, one of the most remarkable debut albums of the year. Epic consequently signed the soul-rooted, cross-genre singer/songwriter and re-circulated the album in 2007. The deal raised awareness -- Smith was nominated for a 2008 Grammy in the shamefully short-lived Best Urban/Alternative Performance category -- but was disastrous for her career.

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Review Summary: Whether it revolves around reassuring pop anthems or bitter break-up ballads, She is a deeply sincere soul record.There's something horribly wrong with large record labels. In 2007 Brooklyn-based singer Alice Smith signed to Epic Records that re-released her critically acclaimed debut For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, yet despite a Grammy nomination Epic refused to support her recording music, or even touring. After many years of “unrealistic and imposed expectations,” she finally came up with her second record that in turn was rejected by the label.

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Veronica Falls Waiting for Something to Happen. “I won’t look back anymore,” the English band Veronica Falls promises, in nicely meshed boys-and-girls harmony, on its second album, “Waiting for Something to Happen” (Slumberland). Which may be disingenuous since Veronica Falls very much ….

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