Amie Miriello, I Came Around (BellaSonic/Jive/Zomba)
purchase this album (Amazon)

The current boomlet of female singer-songwriters hasnÁ¢€â„¢t yet spawned a Lilith Fair revival, but you can just feel one coming when a label like Jive throws its weight behind a folk-pop ingÁƒ©nue like Amie Miriello.

Actually, Jive has been behind her for awhile; she and her songwriting/performing partner, guitarist Jay Dmuchowski, threw together the band Dirtie Blonde after signing with the label in 2005, and scored a minor hit with the poppy but personality-free Á¢€Å“Walk Over Me.Á¢€ Since then Miriello has jettisoned the band and allowed Jive to use her as a guinea pig in the launch of its BellaSonic subsidiary, which seems intent on marketing her in a Colbie Caillat/Sara Bareilles mode.

And why not? Miriello exhibits plenty of promise on her solo debut, I Came Around, even if the albumÁ¢€â„¢s charms are a bit scattershot. The songwriting is relentlessly catchy (Miriello has at least a hand in every tune, assisted by Dmuchowski and numerous others), and its folk and blues influences occasionally manage to bubble up out of the major-label production gloss. The acoustic musicianship is impressive, too Á¢€” and apparently is very impressive during her live gigs, which feature more of a laid-back, low-fi vibe than she displays here.

The only trouble is, IÁ¢€â„¢m pretty sure Miriello is schizophrenic Á¢€” or at least her voice is. (Come on, folks Á¢€” I had to say something to avoid the standard clichÁƒ©s, like Á¢€Å“she wears her influences on her sleeveÁ¢€ or Á¢€Å“she hasnÁ¢€â„¢t found her voice yet.Á¢€) Miriello has a strong, bluesy voice in there somewhere, but on songs like Á¢€Å“PicturesÁ¢€ and Á¢€Å“Brand NewÁ¢€ she meanders from one affectation into another in what finally sounds like a desperate attempt to connect by reminding listeners of someone else. A little Alanis here, a little Tori there, a touch of Joni on “Who You Really Are” and the lovely piano ballad Á¢€Å“SnowÁ¢€ Á¢€” it doesnÁ¢€â„¢t end there, but you get the idea.

ThatÁ¢€â„¢s the bad news. The good news is, Miriello doesnÁ¢€â„¢t need to do all that, because her songs sell themselves without all the distracting vocal acrobatics. The title track (and first single), for example, matches a regret-tinged lyric with propulsive guitars, sounding like an early track from the wonderful Sarah Harmer.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/h0ZN7k7HDhM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Meanwhile, Á¢€Å“GreyÁ¢€ and Á¢€Å“ColdfrontÁ¢€ have tremendous pop hooks. (IÁ¢€â„¢ve chosen not to hold it against the latter song that it received a polishing from new American Idol judge and songwriter-to-the-starlets Kara DioGuardi Á¢€” are there five pop albums released this decade that donÁ¢€â„¢t feature a Kara credit?)

This being a major-label solo debut, Miriello and Jive have conspired (itÁ¢€â„¢s unclear Á¢€” did she jump or was she pushed?) to introduce her with an acoustic alt-rock cover, offered free on her website. In her case itÁ¢€â„¢s Smashing PumpkinsÁ¢€â„¢ Á¢€Å“Disarm,Á¢€ which Miriello pulls off gracefully but to which she adds precious little. When will major (and minor) labels finally learn how to market singer-songwriters on their own merits, and allow us to awaken from the nightmare of the stripped-down cover version?

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/rpkyOXuGs0Y" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Based on this somewhat premature solo emergence, itÁ¢€â„¢s natural to wish that Miriello had taken a slower, more Brandi Carlile/Shawn Colvin-esque path to the majors. I Came Around is enjoyable on its own, too-derivative terms, but I look forward to MirielloÁ¢€â„¢s next album. Hopefully by then sheÁ¢€â„¢ll decide on a voice, because once she settles in she might well build a career on par with her influences.

It may not be a career that a sales-driven major like Jive/Zomba can sustain; still Á¢€” if the BellaSonic imprint survives, and shows some patience for an artist who might need time to build an audience Á¢€” the label just might learn to trust its A&R instincts and let the real Miriello emerge.

That Miriello wonÁ¢€â„¢t need an alt-rock cover. She also wonÁ¢€â„¢t need to (sorry) wear her influences so prominently on her sleeve. And she wonÁ¢€â„¢t need her label to advertise her Á¢€¦ ahem Á¢€¦ assets so prominently on her CD sleeve, either.