Harbinger

A “harbinger” is a forerunner of something more to come – which is not a bad description of Paula Cole’s 1994 debut album. The elements present here would bring the singer/songwriter major hits like “I Don’t Want to Wait” two years later. You can’t fault Cole for not having the basics down — her voice has the deep shine of burnished mahogany and her compositional skills are undeniably solid. She applies them to themes of adolescent suffering (“Bethlehem”), romantic inadequacy (“I Am So Ordinary”), familial dysfunction (“Happy Home”) and resurgent bigotry (“Hitler’s Brothers”). Cole’s music — modern keyboard-based pop/rock with a slight Broadway influence — carries enough sparkle to make her preachier moments go down easier. The passionate “Oh John” and the alienated-but-upbeat “Saturn Girl” alleviate the angst. “The Ladder,” the album’s closing tune, uses choir-like harmonies to stirring effect. Producer Kevin Killen keeps the arrangements sleek and cool, adding abrasive guitars and melancholy string parts here and there.