Lisa Loeb: Firecracker

Lisa Loeb is more than capable of crafting a slick, catchy, likable midtempo pop song; for proof, check out Firecracker's effervescent opening track "I Do." Loeb's problem is that, as on her 1995 debut Tails, she allows Firecracker to settle quickly into a morass of mopey arrangements and dopey lyrics like, "This is where I meet my muse / and it feeds me" (from "This"). There's no feeling of tension or conflict anywhere on Firecracker, and while that's not an inherently bad thing, it is a problem when the songs don't sparkle. And though the album benefits from a clear, bright mix, Loeb's songs mostly just seem drowsy and maudlin. While that may not stop zillions of Jewel fans from snapping it up—it is, after all, the work of an accessible female singer/songwriter whose songs are pretty but often cloying and melodramatic—it doesn't make Firecracker the pop gem it promises to be in its opening moments.