Harmonium - Vanessa Carlton

Advantages: cleverly written songs, more personal than her previous album, lyrics provided
Disadvantages: one or two songs aren't great

INTRODUCTION In Britain, you'd be forgiven for thinking Vanessa Carlton had simply vanished off the face of the planet after her 2002 hit "A Thousand Miles". In fact, in America she still appears to be going strong, as her follow-up album "Harmonium" proves. TRACK LISTING 1. White Houses 2. Who's To Say 3. Annie 4. San Francisco 5. Afterglow 6. Private Radio 7. Half A Week Before The Winter 8. C'est La Vie 9. Papa 10. She Floats 11. ...
...this album a few months ago, around the same time as I bought Kelly Clarkson's sophomoric album "Breakaway". The timing was unfortunate - not because "Harmonium" compared unfavourably to "Breakaway", but because I got "Breakaway" first and literally found it hard to break away from (sorry, couldn't resist!). When I finally managed to wrench Clarkson's cd off the player and replace it with this album, I was skeptical over how long I would listen to ... Read review

Relaxing, enchanting, simply beautiful. This album is great to chillout to. Lyrics are well written, and the tracks don't seem to go on forever. Buy this album if you're in desperate need of a little classic rhythm.

Advantages: Carlton has clearly had more creative input on this record
Disadvantages: That's not always a good thing, some songs are a bit samey

Carlton has returned with her second album after a long break from the spotlight. The longevity of the recording process definitely shows on the record. It is clear to see that Carlton has matured immensely during her break and her songs now contain a great deal of hindsight, dealing with growing up, becoming a woman and gaining independence from her family. The stand out tracks for me are definitely tracks 2,3 and 4. 'Who's To Say' has been on repeat ...
...a young dying girl. 'San Francisco' is probably the most upbeat and catchy song. Along with the hit single White Houses and catchy 'Private Radio' it makes for a great album. The less impressive tracks for me would be the the last 2, 'She Floats' and 'The Wreckage'. Much like her first album, 'Be Not Nobody', she seems to trail off at the end with a few more depressing songs which is a little disappointing. Overall, this is a great album, Vanessa's ... Read review

Advantages: good style, easy listening, original
Disadvantages: She's like marmite

i loved this album from the 1st time i heard it. in fact the only song i had really heard from her, living in the UK was "A Thousand Miles" which seemed to be a big hit everywhere. I only found out about this album because i was looking on you tube.com for "a thousand Miles" i enjoy her classic piano and pop sound combined. it makes it different from the music we're hearing at this moment on the radio which all sound very much the same. her melodies ...
...thing i would say, is she's a bit like marmite though, you either love her or hate her. On the other hand I would defiantly recommend this to people who are looking for something slightly different to the music we're hearing at this moment. I would also recommend her other two albums "Be Not Nobody" and "Heroes and Theives" ... Read review