PUC Chronicle

Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: cduniverse.com Anais Mitchell's sophomore album "The Brightness" lacks strong vocals- hers too childlike and almost comical.

Anais Mitchell tries to jump on the acoustic-folk singer/songwriter bandwagon with the release of her second album "The Brightness," due out Feb. 14. She has the acoustic-folk thing down pat and could easily become a part of the ever-growing scene made up of similar artists. That is, if it wasn't for her almost comical singing voice.
The first song, "Your Tender Heart" begins with vocals that are high, shallow and child-like. They are the vocals you would expect from a 13 year-old in a local theater production, not from a 25 year-old hoping to break into the music business. The vocals get stronger throughout the album, but they wear on a listener after just a few songs.
What could be a decent sounding song just cannot be carried by Mitchell's vocals.
"Way over yonder/ I'm waiting and wondering/ wither your fonder heart lies" is just one example of the cheesy lyrics that are dispersed throughout.
The band that backs Mitchell is decent- but the music is all so simple that it's hard to pin-point if these are talented musicians or just passable. Mitchell's voice eclipses everything on the album anyway.
"Shenandoah" is a low point on the album. The banjo accompanies Mitchell in a song that stops short every time it gains steam, creating a jerky effect doing nothing but frustrate listeners.
Mitchell's first album "Hymns for the Exiled" is now out of print. "The Brightness" will likely follow suit. It's just not a strong enough album to gain much attention- through word of mouth or radio play.
There are some moments that are really good on the album. "Changes" isn't strong throughout but it has some parts showing that Mitchell almost has the talent to carry an album but then she goes back to that high, thin voice and listeners are again let down.
It's hard to imagine Mitchell in the studio and people telling her this is a good album- she probably wouldn't even make it through the first round of "American Idol."

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