With a rich, jazzy voice, layered like a cake in harmony, plus clever piano hooks, Little (from the suburban-pop trio, Late Tuesday) has managed to put together a record replete with her familiar charm, and the vulnerability of a confidant.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (43:49) !
Related styles: Pop: Piano, Folk: Folk Pop, Mood: Fun

People who are interested in Jonatha Brooke Sara Bareilles Sarah McLachlan should consider this download.


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Dana Little's Love Patterns: A Review of Patterns

The late Late Tuesday was a trio of women from Bellingham, WA, writing songs and performing together for seven years. While their sound had been compared to piano balladeer Sarah McLachlan and folk troubadours the Indigo Girls, Dana Little, Jocelyn Meyer, and Tara Ward worked to cultivate a sound all their ownâtimeless folk-pop songs, lovelorn ballads infused with hopeâsomething you might reasonably categorize as suburban pop.

From a craft sheâs constantly developing and reinventing Dana Littleâkeyboardist, singer, and songwriter for Late Tuesdayâunveils her solo album, twelve tracks she collectively and affectionately refers to as Patterns. Itâs not exactly a secret Little has been my favorite since I first saw her band perform at a sweet little coffee bar as a freshman in college. Play piano and youâve caught my eye; have fun with it and youâve found the fast track to my heart. And Little never disappoints.

Patterns opens with an orchestra of oohs as âStill Listeningâ exhibits growth from Littleâs work with Late Tuesday. The song evokes perseverance in the face of loss, strength in the midst of regret. Her strong, layered harmonies stitch a delicate homage to Elliott Smith, a most tragic figure in rock music, as she sings Look at how weâve all moved on / all the sad in all those songs / and the good thatâs come and gone / but Iâm, Iâm still listening. With that, Little foreshadows an album that explores our human habits and capacity for love, self-sabotage, and redemption.

Perseveranceâwellâperseveres on âThe Day It Fell Apart,â a poignant testament to intricate support systems in our lives. Further along, âI Fight Youâ brandishes futile fists in self-defense against those same type of relationships, saying I fight you but itâs not what it seems / It seems I think very little of you, Iâm sure, acknowledging fault and choosing humility, to a steadily brooding piano. Yet Little still musters poise and grace as she exposes our clumsiest tendencies. I think the glockenspiel helps, and the tapestry of harmonies. Oh, and the second chorus sung right along with the first.

Her clever songwriting and piano sensibilities parade all over this album. âPictures to Shakeâ spins a history of injury and betrayal toward an empowered demand for more than fickle proclamations of affection. Littleâs way with piano might update some earlier comparisons from Sarah McLachlan to Sara Bareilles; her catchy pop songs make you want to stomp along in time. And though new comparisons could be made to the longstanding career of Over the Rhine and their soulful offerings, itâs also easy to hear the strong influence of storytellers like Ben Folds and Billy Joel.

Her smooth voice and wide range has so much to tell. Fortunately for us, she has quite the ensemble of bold melodies layered with warm harmonies. The band backing Littleâs songs enriches each track with just the right accessories of rock, soul, jazz. Andy Lewisâs drums and Luke McGeeâs bass drive âPictures to Shakeâ along, while Nate Beedeâs guitars grunge up the attitude on âOff My Mind.â Produced by Martin Feveyear, like Late Tuesdayâs last record Drowning Out Love, Patterns is a record that recognizes its roots: Littleâs earlier music as well as patterns in public and private histories. Yet Dana stands apart. As a solo artist, she's altogether remarkable.

Near the albumâs close, âBelieve in Loveâ returns Little to questions that might not have any answers. The bridge Oh my God, if this is all we have / when are we gonna learn / that this is all we have? confronts the often painful consequences that losing sight of love itselfânot romantic, but deep, unconditional loveâoften brings. When asked, Little said, âAt the heart of it, Patterns is about relationships in every sense of the wordâ¦something only becomes a pattern if itâs in a relationship.â And what binds a relationship better than love?

Love is not simplistic in the slightest, as it becomes apparent down to the last, the title track. Love is a multifaceted avenue that opens us up to one another in the best ways. Love is a gift of the greatest importance, and as such it has the greatest risk.

If I were to reduce Patterns to one theme, I would do Little and her project a disservice. But as one of the strongest themes on the album, loveâin all its grandeur and disappointment, all its strong fabric and unflattering limitations when shared between imperfect peopleâtrue, uncompromising love, much like Littleâs songwriting here, embroiders an altogether spectacular fashion.


Review by David K. Wheeler