[Marcel Lee]

What's sort of courageous is the fact that Paula Cole decided to play it safe on this, her long-awaited fourth, album. In a sense; what we've waited nearly eight years for is a Paula Cole more mature, sophisticated and stable than ever, in stark contrast to the church girl who got lost in religious babble with her Amen or the lilith who threatened to bite the head off of her glasshousemate in This Fire.

Of course, the latter; one of the most passionate albums I've ever listened to; is what made us fall for her in the first place. And we do get a small puff of that fiery edge here, when she goes into her signature love bawl at the end of the first single; another breakup song, entitled "14".

"This mighty woman's ready to explode," she warns, before going on to announce that there's more "fire" right below the surface of her "volcano". And you'd have to put a few exclamation points after that last "o" to really get the point. Unfortunately for us, she doesn't actually erupt this time; and instead goes on, in the next track, to lament herself for letting the fire blow out.

But hey, soft Paula Cole; the milkskin girl who prefers sweeping jazz arrangements and placid reggae ballads over bitchy rock anthems; is still a musical talent. Even given the romantic songs she's singing, her voice sounds smoother than ever; and she still has a knack for the kind of ballsy, off the wall, vocal melodies you dont hear much in the brave new world of pop music.


My Rating = 3 of 5