Leah Andreone, "It's Alright It's OK" (RCA) ***

I suppose any new female singer-songwriter these days cannot avoid imminent comparisons to You Know Who. Other than mentioning that Leah Andreone's vocal style cops elements from both Tori Amos and Her, I will attempt to stay away from such comparisons. Although she does sound like that one wail-y chick who sings about the theater....oops, I lose. That aside, this debut single from Leah's album Veiled has plenty of emotion behind it, as evidenced by the frequent vocal yodels and shrieks. She's got a real band behind her, however, and it helps a whole lot. The lyrics (and video) seem to deal with either anorexia or domestic abuse (not sure which), with the most memorable line being "Mary's little lambs are now raised by wolves." Even though it sounds as if I've ripped this one up, the band's real, the chorus is there, Leah seems to be into it, and that's all right for now.

Scott Slonaker