'Til Tuesday - Everything's Different Now (1988)

As commercially successful as 'Til Tuesday's debut album was, the Boston band could have easily slipped into formula and continued making infectious, synth-soaked pop/rock. But instead, Tuesday continued to challenge itself and grow with each album. Everything's Different Now, the group's third and final album, lacks the immediacy of Voices Carry and is even more intimate than Welcome Home, but is every bit as rewarding. An often poignant and moving singer/composer, Aimee Mann leaves no doubt that she's coming from the heart on such introspective and personal gems as "Long Gone (Buddy)," "Why Must I," and "(Believed You Were) Lucky." Comparing something as slick as "No More Crying" to much more organic and understated offerings like "Rip in Heaven" and "J for Jules," it becomes obvious just how much Tuesday evolved in the course of three albums.