Kaleidoscope Heart by Sara Bareilles
As reviewed by Tim McCleskey
Kaleidoscope Heart is the sophomore album of pop singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. Before going into the album itself I would like to briefly talk about her previous work in order to set some things in place before talking about the album itself. Sara Bareilles is perhaps most known for her hit single “Love Song.” Her first album, Little Voice, contains both energetic pop songs such as “Love Song” as well as slower ballads. As a whole, Little Voice is a fantastic piece of work that shows off Sara's prowess with a piano and her lovely voice. It also shows off the magic that good production can work when it is compared to her pre-label album Careful Confessions which contains most of the same songs but simply lacks the flair and diversity of Little Voice.
But perhaps the most significant difference between Careful Confessions and Little Voice is that the songs from the former sound a bit more jazzy. More like the sort of piece one would expect a woman in an elegant blue dress with a pearl necklace and gloves to softly croon from atop a piano while a dapper man politely touches out a nice tune. In contrast, Little Voice transforms these songs from that of a woman who is this sort of gentle soul into one who is happy, free, and independent. The addition of “Love Song,” which Sara wrote for her record specifically as a rebellion against her record label's request for her to write a love song, has a number of layers and meanings to it which make it a fantastic start to the album. Not only this, but it embodies this sort of free and independent woman without coming off as overly preachy or insincere. And, of course, it is quite catchy.
And it is with these things in mind, these expectations and hopes and anticipation that I was eager to hear Kaleidoscope Heart. To put it simply, I feel let down.
Kaleidoscope Heart feels sloppy a number of levels. The title itself is actually pretty well chosen – it is reflective of both the diversity of styles encapsulated within and the numerous songs that deal with matters of the heart. But both of these things are actually the very reasons that the album is simply not as good as Little Voice.
The album starts off on a good note with the minute-long introduction simply titled “Kaleidoscope Heart.” The vocal effect makes it sound rather like Imogen Heap's “Hide and Seek,” but despite how ridiculous that sounds it really works as an introduction. It also flows pretty seemlessly into the wonderfully energetic and catchy “Uncharted.” Even better, this strong start continues into the next song “Gonna Get Over You” which channels some of the best aspects of Careful Confessions with a snappy, piano-heavy tune. But it's here that the worries start to set in. The lyrics for this, and “Uncharted” for that matter, sound a bit more dependent and clingy. But okay, sure, some of Sara's previous albums talked about love and desires and disappointments without taking it too far. I'm sure the next few songs will put her right back on track. But the next song is “Hold My Heart.”