CheekyChicago

Missy Higgins is one of those artists that crept up on me. Her latest album On a Clear Night debuted in 2007, but it wasn’t until recently, when I heard her single on the radio, that I found this songstress and felt compelled to buy her album. Compared widely to Vanessa Carlton and Sarah McLachlan with a touch of Dido, Higgins is one of those female singer songwriters that can appeal to just about everyone while still remaining completely and utterly unique. She is accessible enough to have mass appeal, sassy enough to allure the hipster indie crew, but most of all, candid enough to make this heart-broken girl a true fan.

On a Clear Night is her sophomore effort and there is no slump going on here. It has been acclaimed that this album is better than her first. Most of the tracks rely heavily on acoustic guitars and piano, which elevate her smoky and brazen vocals, making them sound crystal clear, yet remaining raw and exposed. This is a good thing. Higgins sings with so much emotion and conviction, you can almost see her facial expressions and feel her heartbreak as she sings “I don’t know who I am without you / All I know is that I should” in the album’s opener, “Where I Stood.” But don’t think the entire album is sad and emotive. Higgins can rock out on that guitar and producer, Mitchell Froom (of Crowded House fame), twirls banjo, mandolin and acoustic bass with Higgins’s belting voice and turns many a track into gritty folk pop songs. Like “100 Round the Bends” and “Steer”, where she exclaims “When the night is totally clear / And your heart is fierce / So now you finally know you control where you go / You can steer.”

This is one of those albums that suit any mood, anywhere, any time of day. The tracks can be soothing, beautiful or upbeat and, ultimately, easy to listen to. Play it while you cook, while you cry, while you sip your coffee in the morning, while you drive your car in the sunshine, while you get ready for bed. All that matters is that you play it. Unfortunately, Australian born-and-bred Missy Higgins has yet to really transcend and break in the states. Her feisty, folksy and fun music deserves to be heard by American audiences. Especially those audiences of slightly heartbroken, emotionally in-touch, hopeful, cheeky girls…