The compilation's first rock track is ecb's fine "Francis and Matilda," which sounds like a collaboration between the Rolling Stones and ELO. Bulgaria's Liliput Project checks in with a timeless-sounding trance-electronica piece, and then the CD's biggest-name contributor, Marwood, shows why Benji Rogers's voice and songwriting have made the band such a hit in the past year with the crystalline, acoustic guitar driven pop-rock of "Name To Me No More."
"Prince Meets Paul Weller" is not a bad description of NYC native Raymond Fiore, whose John Popper-esque vocals elevate his compact soul-rocker "Spin the Wheel" into one of the compilation's top tracks. "A Waste In Vain" by Sweden's Celebrate the Sun has a catchy chorus, if garbled English, and then there's a change in direction towards the rootsy with Tracy Stark's torchy jazz ballad "Morning Light" and Minimal's quirky, tuba and mandolin-driven "Crescent City" which sounds like it could almost have been a 1970s western TV show theme song. Indiegrrl founder Holly Figueroa's unique, deceptively sharp-edged chamber-folk style is well represented by "How It Is." Australia's Hopkinson has done better than the vaguely pretty but ulimately limp "No. 5," but Anthill has an engaging Canadian take on 1990s British pop, and guitarist Dave Hart's impressive and moody "Mexican Sonata" really is in something approaching sonata form. Finally, Australian Megan Laurie checks in with a solid, straight-ahead country tune, "Light at the End of the Bottle."
Few if any listeners will like every track on here, but you could do much worse than using Norine Braun as your funnel to top-notch pop of many styles.
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