Elisa

Then Comes the Sun (Sugar Music)
by Michael McCarthy

Depressed? Planning to spend the night alone with a bottle of wine? Then Comes the Sun, the third album by Italy’s pop sensation Elisa (Sugar Music; www.sugarmusic.com), is the perfect companion. Her deep, soulful lyrics (the entire album is in English) on “Heaven Out of Hell” are hopeful but never so much so that it becomes irritating (she may be a bit more accessible than Tori Amos, but this certainly isn’t your generic, Celine Dion-type extravagance either). That said, there are plenty of songs here that might make you feel like crying. “‘Cause it never began for us/it’ll never end for us” she sings on “Rainbow,” and it’s uncertain whether she’s saying that to encourage her broken heart to heal or keep on bleeding. What is certain is that Elisa’s voice is always full of emotion and she infects her listeners with it like a great jazz singer. If you liked Fiona Apple’s first album, you should cherish this.
(www.elisaweb.net)