Charmer

It's often been noted that as singer/songwriters become more reflective, their ability to write catchy tunes dwindles. Partway through her solo career, Mann found herself recording well-accessorized adult-pop tunes that were deep in thought but just a bit short on hooks. Now firmly acknowledged for her literary abilities, she aims for stronger tunes with greater energy. "Crazytown" kicks into step with new wave keyboards giving her a vital, more urgent sound than her work of the past decade. James Mercer of The Shins joins her for the spunky "Living a Lie." The guitars in "Charmer" punch up the keyboards. "Gumby" rolls with youthful enthusiasm, while "Red Flag Driver" has an extra skip in its step. Fans of 'Til Tuesday and Mann's earliest solo work will be happy to hear she's refound her youth. Mann's voice has always recalled the warm, dulcet tones of Karen Carpenter on moderately paced numbers, and sure enough, on tunes such as "Disappeared" and "Barfly" she fulfills that role as well.