This is edgy, sharp, slightly sinister pop, with finely woven layers of fuzz guitar, pulsing drums, and of course Ms. Christy's voice, at once snarling and lilting, but almost always pure-toned. With this, her second disc, Christy proves that she's an artist to reckon with, and not just another "jagged little pill" riding the coat-tails of another popular songstress. There's really not a second-rate tune here, from the wonderfully over-the-top "You Make Me Laugh" to the introspective ballad "25 Back Then" and the evocative, frightening "Letterbomb."
Christy likes to build songs up bit by bit, but always cuts quickly to the chase--as in the flowing "Burn": first a simple, strummed acoustic guitar, and then before you know it the chorus blasts in from out of nowhere, background vocals soaring above her hypnotic vocals and a perfectly applied mechanical beat. This is a great second record from an extraordinary talent, and one of 1997's best pop albums--highly recommended.