After a couple of EPs (and a stint on Australian Idol) from
Lisa Mitchell,
Wonder serves as a full-fledged introduction to her particular brand of sweet, tinkling songcraft. Despite a pedigree that might imply sickly sweet pop, her sound is instead more folk-oriented, singer/songwriter-based, and original. Her vocals are small and sweet, but with a deep vulnerability and a strong sense of authenticity. Between the soft piano accompaniments and the occasional glockenspiel,
Mitchell could at times be writing (or even singing) a song from
Feist -- pay attention to "Red Wine Lips" and the similarities are hard to miss. The style of songwriting is becoming a little more common as female folk-pop artists find their way into the mainstream bit by bit, but it's still something to be appreciated.
Mitchell's vocals are what will really get the listener, though: all sweet, unadulterated softness, the lyrics sounding like intimations to close friends -- the listeners themselves. ~ Adam Greenberg