Bleeding Heart Graffiti
Add ex-Veruca Salt co-leader Nina Gordon to a growing list of 90s female rock singers (think Liz Phair and Alanis Morissette) who have left behind the grit of their earlier work to emphasize a more accessible pop sound.  On her 2nd solo releaseBleeding Heart Graffiti, producer Bob Rock polishes each song to a high-gloss, showcasing Gordon's lightweight but pleasant voice over lush backgrounds.  The lead-off single "Kiss Me Til It Bleeds" is a catchy meditation on the guy-you-can't-resist, but most of the album lingers in somber ballad territory without displaying the tension of pop contemporaries like Aimee Mann or Fiona Apple.  Nina Gordon sounds like she's having more fun on "Suffragette", where an infectious T-Rex groove and background vocals dead lifted from an 80s Prince record blend into a danceable concoction.--Ben Heege