Philadelphia locals may recognize Adrien Reju's lilting voice and classic Renoir good looks from her work with bluegrass outfit The Lowlands and rootsy trio Angel Band. Now, on solo debut A Million Hearts, Reju waxes in a new style, burnishing her timeless sensibility into laid-back sparkly pop that registers on the familiarity meter somewhere between Feist and Petula Clark. Reju's classically trained voice (she was a member of the Metropolitan Opera's children's choir) does crazy things here in the pop life, rising steady and high and then parachuting softly into the phrasing. The new songs (including a fun cover of the euphemistically optimistic Melanie's "Brand New Key") swish along with big harmonies and handclaps, holding a jaunty walk-along vibe where the living is breezy and hearts rise like little hot air balloons on the first day of spring. (Tara Murtha, Philadelphia Weekly)
1) A Million Heart
2) Two Sounds
3) The Waiting Room
4) On with the Show
5) Heartless
6) Fire Away
7) Brand New Key
8) When the Curtain Falls