Vanessa Carlton- Heroes & Thieves
The Inc. Records (10/9/07)
Pop/Soft Rock
Vanessa Carlton, best known for bringing us the hits “A Thousand Miles” and “Ordinary Girl”, has a strong connection to threes, with three Grammy nominations and this brand new third studio album called Heroes & Thieves. The singer/songwriter/pianist is only 26 years old and has already worked with an all-star team of co-producers, including Linda Perry, Stephan Jenkins and Irv Gotti. She signed with The Inc. Records thanks to the influence of rap producer Gotti in what would be considered a unlikely pair by most, but the magic is definitely there.
The album kicks off unexpectedly with strong percussion in “Nolita Fairytale”, which almost made me wonder if I was reviewing the right artist—looks as if Gotti’s already shaking things up. It also seems apparent that Carlton’s song choice has improved; her album has a theme and is well-presented from a package standpoint.
“Spring Street” has a Bruce Springsteen-meets-The Beatles feel to it. “My Best” could be considered a good break-up song, orchestrated gorgeously and believable with each step, as usual, Carlton can tell a story in a song so beautifully. “Come Undone” is poetic and very well written and maybe my favorite song on the album—how could I not love a song with “fashionista’s garden party” or “sycophantic courtier with an elegant repost” in the lines?
“The One” is a special collaboration with the amazing gypsy goddess of music, Stevie Nicks, who has greatly mentored Carlton. Anything involving Stevie should be pushed to radio and this is just such a treat to hear.
The title track has a great punch to it, with the lyrics: “Heroes and Thieves at my door / And I can’t seem to tell them apart anymore”. “This Time” could have been a Third Eye Blind song, as the Jenkins influence is notable, and I’d have liked to see her explore a surprising unconventional duet with them for this song—I think it could work if the parts were divided up right.
“Fools Like Me” is proof that we can be told something over and over again but you just have to experience something to truly get through it (“Fools like me / Oh we love blindly / And the cracks don’t count / It’s gotta break in front of me”). The album is a great reflection of Carlton’s talents, and expanding wings in her musical landscape. Vanessa spends time on Heroes & Thieves reflecting on being romantic, on broken relationships, on being misunderstood and giving it her all.
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