Mainstream rock lost a lot in the late '90s and early 2000s, and amongst the many casualties were the female-fronted rock bands of the mid-'90s. Maybe
Alanis Morissette made the
Jennifer Trynins,
Veruca Salts, and, specifically,
that dog.s of the world commercially invalid. But
Anna, the debut solo record from former
that dog. frontwoman
Anna Waronker, is proof that this phenomenon wasn't due to a lack of talent. Fresh off of notable production work on
Imperial Teen's
On,
Waronker has returned with set of three-minute pop songs shrouded in a (tidy) layer of feedback. And like on the three
that dog. records,
Waronker's songwriting sticks, whether it's on new wavey power pop like "All for You" and "I Wish You Well" or on any of the album's few more melancholy ballads. That means
Anna is nothing revolutionary, of course, and
that dog. fans have certainly heard this before. But that same audience will most likely want to hear it again, as will anyone who believes female rockers don't need to choose between being a folky riot grrrl (
Ani DiFranco,
Dar Williams) or a mainstream maven (
Meredith Brooks,
Sheryl Crow). ~ Jason Damas