On a Musical Note

In a previous post about Chicago, I briefly mentioned a performer named Lenka whom I saw live and alluded to the fact that I'd elaborate later. Well, now it's later.

She was dang near the cutest thing I'd ever seen - I honestly wanted to shrink her down and stick her in my pocket and take her home with me. So. Dang. Cute. (Plus she's Australian - how can that be bad?)

She's been described as "Bubble Gum Pop," but this description is wrong to me. In my mind, BGP would be something like Mandy Moore or Britney or Jessica Simpson (before either of the latter two got quite so slutty). They have sweet reputations, they can sing, and their lyric content is 100% dull.

While Lenka indeed fits the first two criteria, she is a credited singer/songwriter/musician. I think the girl deserves some props for not being a mass-produced studio output. She's a creative entity in and of herself. Is her music a bit fluffy sounding? Sure, a bit. But I think she has a unique enough sound and interesting enough lyrics to redeem her from a BGP label. She reminds me more of Sara Barellis or Tristan Prettyman.

Anyway, I unexpectedly loved her. She's worth checking out. (And if you've been downloading the free itunes singles of the week, you already have one track...)

Oh and PS - Kelly Clarkson has a new album coming out in April. I can hardly wait. Stay tuned for the review....
Photos by JAMES GULLIVER HANCOCK