Sara Melson – A Million White Stars (2013)

It's taken Sara Melson five years to follow up her fine 2008 Nettwerk debut Dirty Mind but the upcoming April 30 album A Million White Stars is clearly well worth the wait. Intact are the sprightly folk/pop tracks and vocals shaded with tender vulnerability that have made Melson a popular source of songs for TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. But what sets Melson's own particular songcraft apart from the thousands of female singer/songwriters is the palpable strength and honesty that flows through her music. In a cookie-cutter world littered with songs more interested in "marketing" than music, she's simply not afraid to wear her own real emotions prominently on her sleeve. While many of A Million White Star's songs are permeated with thoughtful reflection, lead single "What Are You Waiting For" (listen after the jump) is simply a two-and-a-half minute anthem celebrating the urgency of the moment: a breezy, uptempo and completely infectious song propelled by a tender-hooked chorus and hand-clapped rhythms. We're also taken with "Lay You Down", a churning folk/rocker that shimmers in it's own hazy retro-psychedelic haze. Listen for "I love the way you hit the bass"...