7½/10 CHRISTINA PERRI – LOVESTRONG (GALLO)
Young, pretty, a great songwriter and with a crisp, clear voice – Christina Perri is Brandi Carlile with less bass in her vocals and more highlights in her hair.

The other pertinent reference is Regina Spektor, both for the slightly trebly voice and for the shared handiness around the piano, particularly on perky tunes such as Mine and, to a lesser degree, the opening (and rather beautiful) Bluebird.

All the songs are strong – Arms is wonderful – and the album continues to pick up momentum as it goes, with the moody Penguin and rollicking pop song Miles being on opposite ends of a spectrum of excellence.

Perri has a good sense of humour, too, kicking off Sad Song  with the droll lyric: “Today I’m gonna write a sad song, and I’m gonna make it really long, so everyone can see that I’m unhappy”.

Incidentally, it’s not overly long, and a cheerful arrangement in the second half is far more conducive to smiling than it is to sulking.

Perri falls neatly into a slot between conventional pop princess and world-class singer-songwriter, offering the best of both worlds to listeners. – BD