Pauline Wilson - Intuition (1994)

If a rock and roll alien came upon the planet and wondered exactly what the NAC tag meant musically, Pauline Wilson's bright and snazzy vocals on Intuition might make a perfect example. The tunes, written by a variety of known names like Gregg Karukas and Brenda Russell, are not quite trendy enough to be Top 40 hits, but still stylish, hooky, and affable. As any good song stylist knows, it's important to surround oneself with a great support system, and Yutaka Yokokura (with whom Wilson has toured) has produced some bright sounds featuring strong reed contributions by Judd Miller, Brandon Fields, Gary Herbig and Gary Meek. And yet standing out above the stellar musicianship is the crisp, pristine, powerful yet not overwrought voice that drove Seawind fans crazy once upon a time. She tugs at the heart, but is tasteful in her choice not to send us to intensive care.