Anna Nalick's Wreck of the Day: Find Beauty in the Wreckage or Walk on by

I guess you could call me a purist when it comes to singer/songwriter records. The ones I enjoy the most are the ones that are simply just that; singer/songwriter records. The records that don’t pay too much attention to detail and aren’t too over-thought or over-calculated. 

The records that take a decent singer with decent songs that tell decent stories and pick suitable arrangements for them to convey such. I also have an affinity for such a record that has a conversationalist’s feel. A record that doesn’t sound so much like a record as it does a close friend sitting down and venting over their day. Anna Nalick has made me one happy camper.

A 20-something from California, Anna outwardly appears to be another link in the long chain of female singer/songwriters. And even if some believe that this is so and that her music is average at best, a close listen to her debut, Wreck of the Day, proves that Anna is no cheap knockoff of some great FSS before her and that there may not be many of her kind after.

Vocally, Anna has a very familiar, comfortable, and pleasant, if not terribly strong, voice. If comparisons have to be made, I’d say she vocally comprises the nimbleness of Sarah with the conviction of Tori and splashes it all with a little Dolores O’Riordan for good measure. Musically, Wreck of the Day is an extremely solid collection of 11 self-penned tunes that (thankfully) focus less on the details and commercial appeal and more on the honesty and reality; this is Anna’s life. Welcome to it.

Fortunately, lead single, “Breathe”, is a deserved AC hit that radio and video outlets haven’t completely slept on. Supported by a dulcet piano line, with lush acoustical backup, pensive lyricism and Anna’s delicate vocals, the song has a refreshing, clearheaded quality that affects the listener in the same manner.