Christina Perri made her debut with “Jar of Hearts,” a swooning piano ballad that wound its way onto So You Think You Can Dance (and subsequently the Billboard charts, where it peaked at number 34) during the summer of 2010. Released several months later, this EP serves as her first proper release for Atlantic Records, who signed her in the wake of the single’s unexpected success. Along with “Jar of Hearts,” four new originals are presented here, all of them featuring a smoky, pop-based sound that recalls a saucier
Sara Bareilles or a more metropolitan
Brandi Carlile. They're also performed live at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, with “Jar of Hearts” receiving the solo treatment and the remaining tunes being fleshed out by a full backup band. With her rebel-chic tattoos and swaggering voice,
Perri certainly plays the part of a pop star, and new songs like “Black + Blue” indicate that “Jar of Hearts” wasn’t necessarily a fluke success. ~ Andrew Leahey