Bright

Annalise Bush (a.k.a. Aprilemade) cites a diverse array of influences, including Coldplay, Florence + The Machine, Ingrid Michaelson, Paramore, Lights, and Colbie Caillat. But “Come On” opens her 2012 Bright EP sounding as if The Cranberries had formed in Nashville instead of Ireland. You can definitely hear some of that Colbie Caillat inspiration coming through “Johnny,” a heartfelt musing that gradually builds into a multilayered love song that plays like a de-countrified pop gem forged in the fires of a high-end Music City studio (check out the gorgeous string arrangements on this one). Singer/songwriter Tim Halperin duets with Aprilemade in “Running Deep in Love,” a standout tune with retro guitar parts, a rootsy old Hammond organ, and an earnest amorousness that gushes like a more mature Taylor Swift. With the minimal accompaniment of a lonesome acoustic guitar, the title track really lets listeners hear the subtle textures and nuances of Aprilemade’s breathy inflections. That is, until the piano and string section seeps in, nearly upstaging her with a garden of blooming melodies. “Capture Me” closes with melancholic beauty.