White Turns Blue
Maria Mena's got issues, and teenage girls across the land are going to love her for it. But for those of us whose age and self-respect keep us from locking ourselves behind our bedroom doors with her, the volume cranked high, the trouble is they're not especially out of the ordinary issues. They're pretty predictable, in fact. There's boy trouble ("Sorry"), anguished self-doubt ("Your Glasses," "Just a Little Bit"), parent-directed rants ("Blame it on Me," "Lullaby"), and your basic hissy fit ("What's Another Day," "Shadow"), all of it bathed in what could be described as burning sincerity, or at least deep earnestness. But direct your ears beyond the angst-y confessions, dear listener, and you'll find this 18-year-old wallflower worthy of more than your world-weary sympathies. It's all in Ms. Mena's pipes. Line her up against the pop princesses of the day, and her honeyed, breathy voice makes the divas sound brittle. It also makes all the difference here: Trapped inside her are a less manicFiona Apple, a more contemplativeAlanis Morissette, a not-so-weirdTori Amos, and a healthy helping of old-schoolPhoebe Snow. She's a thinker, smoothing her bare-it-all lyrics with vocal understatement, and it's hard not to like her for it. Here's hopingWhite Turns Blueand her coming of age reap lyrical maturity next go-round. --Tammy La Gorce