"Heroes & Thieves" by Vanessa Carlton

For all the hype surrounding doe-eyed songstress Vanessa Carlton's move to Murder Inc—partying on Irv's yacht, the tour drug confessions, new friendship with co-writer Stevie Nicks—fans might expect her third release to mark a dramatic reinvention for the piano-tinkling songwriter, or, at the very least, some innovation. Strangely, this latest release feels more like a fumbling debut than the work of a Grammy-winning, platinum-selling artist; instead of the charm of Be Not Nobody or Harmonium's elegantly haunting melodies, the record is unsure and sometimes juvenile. While opening single "Nolita Fairytale" is a pretty, swooping instruction to "take the glitz back, I want the soul instead," the following tracks falter with weak melodies and bland tales of her first forays into the adult world. A large disappointment is Carlton's usually-distinctive distinctive voice, which this time fails to enchant: straining on "Undone" and holding none of its
	Published: 2007-10-04 Provider: Artist Direct