Singer/songwriter
Renee Stahl
doesn't fit neatly in any particular subgenre. Sharing some characteristics with everyone from
Patty Griffin
and
Dar Williams
to
Sarah McLachlan
Beth Orton
,
Stahl
creates an appealing, cozy style of AAA
folk-pop
that's conducive to lazy afternoons in suburban coffeehouses but not so vapid that it isn't suitable for any other locations. Ranging from simple, largely acoustic and
folk
-based tunes like
"You Didn't Know"
to lusher songs like the
Aimee Mann
-like ballad
"Isn't It Easy"
and the sweetly poppy, radio-friendly first single
"Music 101,"
Hopeful Romantic
is a mild but appealing set. The biggest surprise is
"Adore,"
an
electronic
ballad presented in two versions, both of which recall
Everything But the Girl
's mid-'90s dip into
downtempo
club music. It's testament to
's vocal skill that neither version sounds like either a sell-out attempt or a bid for credibility in a genre outside her own, but the song does rather stick out in these mellow surroundings. ~ Stewart Mason