Critiques CD: VV Brown | Traveling Like the Light

Northampton flat top doyenne Vanessa Brown took a stab at the L.A. thing – Pussycat Dolls backup gigs included – as a precocious 19 year-old. The multi-instrumentalist eventually fled back across the pond, broke as a joke, and the resulting debut record is 21st century doo-wop candy that delves into the pain of a love gone awry. At times (“Back in Time”, “I Love You”), her winning combo of raspy timbre, lyrical vulnerability and bluesy grooves recall misery queen Winehouse. Brown provides catchy guitar riffs and classic rockabilly spirit with “Game Over” – a funky scolding session – and “Crying Blood”, a boisterous breakup track that’s too cool for histrionics.