Wreck of the Day  (Audio CD) 
by Anna Nalick

Twenty-year-old Anna Nalick is the rare artist who makes you want to grab pop music's wheels by the spokes so they'll stop spinning so fast. "Wait," the 11 songs on this debut disc say collectively to the newly initiated, "there's something substantial here." An onslaught of substance is more what it feels like, actually, and it grabs hold early. Though each of these songs is distinctive enough to avoid congealing with the others into a gorgeous glop of introspection, heavy sighs, and reflection, leadoff track and first single "Breathe (2 A.M.)" works small wonders as a flagship song. Its simple, lonely piano swirls into guitars that stop just short of rocking, allowing plenty of room for Nalick's unaffected voice to spill in. When it does, the music turns forest-thick and dreamy--influences run the Tori Amos indie singer-songwriter gamut, with streaks of Jewel and Alanis Morissette spiking out--but there's a naturalness and urgency to her singing that saves every chorus and verse from clouding over. Now that she's cautiously alighted into pop territory, sophisticated listeners will do well to dust off their welcome mats. --Tammy La Gorce