Surrender Dorothy
Alana Davis, bless her, is likeJoss Stonewithout the pyrotechnics and pageantry. There is the voice--a pure thing, equal parts springtime-fair lovely and lived-in husky--and then there is the way she inhabits it. Instead of causing the listener to feel as if he should be sitting on a panel alongside a team of judges furiously scribbling down marks for her technical ability and overall performance, she might as well be sprawled on the next sofa edging away thoughts about what comes next on the day's agenda and subliminally suggesting it's bubble bath time. That's the vibe--free-flowing and just slightly trippy, with a lot of musical legroom--that defined 1998'sBlame It on Me, her rave-winning debut, and it carries over toSurrender Dorothywith the same easy fluidity. Jazz, R&B;, and blues elements, each gorgeously gauged, dart around her tell-it-like-it-is lyrics ("And you see when we're together/There's a pull we can't deny/I know that we may not be forever/But I feel like I could try," from "Wide Open"), and even the lyrics that don't belong to her, likeBob Marley's on "Nice Time," sound easily nudged into her ownership. That said, there's no getting around that "The Reaper," as in "Don't Fear the Reaper," the other cover here, was a weird choice. But take her hand anyway: If sophisticated, earthy pop moves you, Baby, she's your man. --Tammy La Gorce