Gin Wigmore, “These Roses”
Make mine a Gin Wigmore. No, that isn’t a trendy frou-frou drink – she’s New Zealand’s latest musical export.
The 22-year-old platinum-blond singer has a melodic yet raspy cigarettes ‘n’ whiskey voice that was born of the blues. She writes smart songs that would work in either a coffeehouse or an arena – something she proved last summer when both John Mellencamp and Sheryl Crow tapped her as their opening act during their separate tours of Australia and New Zealand.
Wigmore’s allure is partially due to her waif-like good looks, but there’s an intangible honesty in her music – you can’t help but believe that’s she’s already lived the events in her songs. That’s easy to hear on “These Roses” (download it at nypost.com) as it is on the raw, emotionally honest “Hallelujah” – a tune where she deals with the life and death of her father. Those songs are centerpieces of her succinct yet rich EP, which paves the way for her full-length debut due this spring.
Erin McCarley, “Love, Save the Empty”
Despite Miss McCarley’s killer performance last spring at SXSW…which led to a recording contract .Ñ.Ñ. which led to today’s release of her debut album “Love, Save the Empty,” she says, “it’s hard for me to write about being happy.”
Still, when McCarley is lyrically down, she makes sweet music. Take the title track to her record (download it at nypost.com). It’s a song of regret and relationship misunderstanding, yet the dark-cloud words are whisked away by the rays of bright piano-power sunshine. It’s a ballad that has the same kind of edge that Fiona Apple and Tori Amos cut with. She writes her own music, so there’s an appealing emotional power in her tunes that pop interpreters often lack.
She’s one of this year’s most buzzed-about hopefuls. Her music has already been tapped for girly TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “One Tree Hill,” and “The Ghost Whisperer.” If that weren’t enough, her single “Pony (It’s OK)” was last week’s iTunes single of the week and she’s David Letterman’s musical guest tonight. So far, 2009 is looking fine for McCarley, who also plays Joe’s Pub tonight.
Crooked X, “Rock N Roll Dream”
When you were 14, chances are that your biggest concern in life was worrying about how to hide your latest zit. Warming up a crowd for KISS, touring with Ted Nugent and staring in your own MTV special probably never crossed your mind.
But the Oklahoma-based quartet of high school freshman did all of it in the last year. Together since fifth grade, Crooked X creates metal-inflected, rock ‘n’ roll for the MySpace generation.
While gamers will recognize their track “Nightmare,” written when they were 11, from the “Rock Band” video game, Crooked X’s first official single, “Rock N Roll Dream” (download it now at nypost.com), is just a hint of what’s to come when their self-titled album hits stores on Jan. 27.
Don’t let their paltry age turn you off – lead singer Forrest French’s grumbling vocals belie his youth, while the band’s heavy riffs, modern rock sound and inspirational lyrics transcend the Jonas Brothers’ teeny-bop appeal, making Crooked X a band that adults can get into.
The Script, “Before the Worst”
Formed out of the ashes of failed ’90s boy band Mytown – yeah, we hadn’t heard of them, either – singer Danny O’Donoghue and guitarist Mark Sheehan decided to make a go at audiences of both sexes. They hooked up with drummer Glen Power to form a band that doesn’t prance around onstage while singing.
Sketchy past aside, the Irish lads have more than redeemed themselves with their appealing blend of Celtic pop and R&B, showcased in tunes like “Before the Worst” (download it at nypost.com). They’re equally adept at indie-rock style, emotive ballads, like “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” which CBS’s “The Ghost Whisperer” made good use of this past fall.
If their sales abroad are any indication – their self-titled debut landed the No. 1 spot in the UK and Ireland when it was released in August – we’ll have more than green beer to look forward to on (natch) St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) when the album hits our shores.
Anya Marina, “Move You”
You’ve got to give Anya Marina credit: She’s overcome the setback of having a larynx the size of a “very young adolescent.” A troubling issue when you’re a singer. While she may never hit it big in opera – according to her doctor, at any rate – Marina’s made her tiny voice box work for her. On her Jan. 20 full-length debut “Slow & Steady Seduction, Phase II,” Marina’s vocals have a breathy sexiness that’s well suited for poppy songs like lead single “Move You” (download it at nypost.com); the spoken-word “Afterparty at Jimmy’s”; and a cover of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Waters of March,” sung in both Portuguese and English.
Don’t miss her pair of upcoming gigs at Brooklyn’s Bell House on Jan. 16 and Mercury Lounge on Jan. 20.
Angel Taylor, “Make Me Believe”
When it comes to writing songs about desperately wanting to be loved by someone, few are better suited to the task than those fresh out of that turbulent period where crushes and unrequited love among lockers reigns supreme – i.e., high school.
For her debut, “Love Travels” (out April 7), the 20-year old singer-songwriter crafted a dozen songs about the love game – which she ultimately loses. Taylor explores the topic in straightforward ballads like “Chai Tea Latte,” where she uses her soft and sweet voice to compare a multicultural objet d’amour with her favorite Starbucks drink. There are acoustic pop tracks such as the hopeful, reggae-lite flavored “Make Me Believe” (download it at nypost.com) and the innocently upbeat “Like You Do.”
She’s at Webster Hall on Feb. 11, just in time for Valentine’s Day.