Head Shrinking a New Christina Perri Album

Philadelphian and we pray immune to the sophomore slump artist Christina Perri has the knob on her palpitation worthy vulnerability cranked up to ten, going on eleven throughout "Head or Heart". If you've been anywhere near adult contemporary hits radio you already have a pretty fair assessment of the delicate at times frightened girl whose brave heart beats inside the now 27 year-old artist. "Human" lays it out there. Not that we haven't used plenty of pop minstrels to remind us that yes, if you prick one of us, we do bleed and yes, if we fall down, we will also shed blood. Christina uses the piano as a version of an invincibility cloak. She's got the confidence to bare her soul to the world but doesn't lose out on the accumulated dignity in return. Along this pebbled strewn path she manages to find time for frivolity, a welcome refresher for Christina who's adept at making fairly clean breaks as well as spinning around with giddiness as many a woman in love shows a propensity for doing. Usually Christina's instincts shine through in performance. The only misstep that begs for reconsideration is "Shot Me In The Heart". The melodies coupled with the apparent chipper nature of that skip in the step become unbridled cruelty when you listen to the words closely enough. You might have been expecting rose petals. What we got stuck with is a bunch of thorns painted over to look presentable. Christina isn't a happy child. She shoots from the hip about what love he lost. That title alone leaves little room for doubting the debilitating impact of a man who let Cupid's best offering slip through his fingers. The deception brilliantly matches the completely puzzle in "Lonely Child". The cherry on top is a spicy little "cha cha cha" conclusion. The water's excellent so dive in for a breathtaking dip. Here comes Ed Sheeran to up the cuteness factor on "Be My Forever". If you're one of those scorned by love sorts who isn't beneath ripping the wings off butterflies I'd take a detour leading me past this portion of Ms. Perri's probing exploration of matters of the heart. Her daintiness sets the lure, Ed's convivial personality puts that bass in the boat where we're set for whatever affectionate glances, kisses, and what not are positioned down the road a spell. "Run" is straightforward, the implied aches reverberating off pore after pore. There's no booze present but you already know the cosmic hangover's going to be a pisser. "Butterfly" is voiced in the fragile manner its subject deserves. Here elusive and illusion join at the center for a jaunt that's high frustration yet doggedly pursued anyway. "I Don't Wanna Break" leaves a searing mark thanks mainly to the echo of the instruments she and her backup mates employ. The bookend tracks, "Trust" at the front and "I Believe" at the rear of the parade show how smart an advertiser of her wares Christina is. "Trust" demonstrates how she's at the very least fumbling towards a state of being to trust herself. By the time "I Believe" comes closer she's not only found her stride, but affirms to the reluctantly swayed as well as to people already in her corner that they haven't heard the last of her. This is the beginning, not the end. In the end "Head or Heart is going to satisfy both organs. There's a generous assortment of mood change-ups to assure lethargy isn't going to tag team with traces of the art critic detested sentimentality. Christina's head and heart are in the right place and that's going to leave that damned sophomore slump a disgruntled beast cursing its rotten luck.