Pop - Alaskan singer/songwriter Kate Earl received acclaim for her 2005 debut album Fate Is the Hunter with an affinity for personal, sharply observant and finely crafted songs. Drawing comparisons to Fiona Apple and Rickie Lee Jones, Earl's dark and deeply dreamy compositions display an innate soulfulness that remains on display for her more R+B/pop-influenced self-titled sophomore effort. Working with producers Louis Biancanello and Sam Watters, Earl brings a sleek pop sheen to her newer songs, by and large leaving the acoustic sound behind for a brighter, bouncier and more radio-friendly feel. For our part, we're partial the retro-pop throwback of "Nobody" and the creepin' "Can't Treat Me That Way" though we think a lighter touch might have been more effective overall. Still, peel back the studio lacquer and glamourpuss photos (and cheesefactor 9 video) and you'll find some smart, effervescent pop tunes.

"The sound I have dreamed of for years and years is finally coming to life," Earl observes. "The first time around I came to my producer with the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill record. But it wasn't the time. So for the past two years I have gone back to the sound in my mind coaxing it out... Learning how to write it and communicate to everyone around me what I hear. All of myself. The folk jazz, blues, gospel, soul, rock and roll AND hip hop... and the rest." As she sums it up, "It's a brand new day."

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Kate Earl - "Nobody" (from the album Kate Earl)

Kate Earl - "Can't Treat Me That Way" (from the album Kate Earl)