Aimeen Mann Uncorks an Unqualified Charmer

Those of us '80s teens will likely always remember Aimee Mann as the voice behind 'til tuesday and its nugget from the decade, "Voices Carry". Well she's long since gone on to be a critic's darling sticking such feathers in her cap as 1993's "Whatever" and numerous tracks contributed to the art house film "Magnolia". The title track from the brand new "Charmer" is exactly what the title suggest it could grow up to be. Aimee manages to pull off some meaty guitar playing which makes a nice counterpoint to the 80s friendly keyboards sprinkled throughout. Aimee throws a hot spotlight on people who come off as charming but are secretly uncomfortable with the attention they get because a hidden agenda won it for them. Aimee's pipes are firm yet never flirt with an octave range that would shatter glass. That's a wonderful artistic persona to project. She gives off confidence that her voice can be powerful in message and chord shift without having to beat people around with it to make them get the point. "Stalwart" comes to mind when one thinks of her place on the contemporary music scene. She never really has gone away since 1985. All she's managed to do is piece together an uncompromising catalog that allows her instruments both electric and all-natural to command each drop of the well-earned attention. "Charmer" the song is a crisp, crowd-pleasing tap into what I'm confident will prove to be a lucrative album. The loyal masses are going to go wild. Newbies will have plenty to cheer about, too.