Part arch, Sam Phillips-like art-pop auteur, and part whimsical folkie troubadour, Simone White unveils a distinctive sound on her second album, I AM THE MAN. Her cooing, girlish voice adds a touch of amiable lightness to even her darkest observations, as White encompasses both the personal and the political in her evocative lyrics, sometimes both at once. The production alternates between spare, acoustic moments and a quirky, Van Dyke Parks-meets-Tom Waits orchestral ambition, keeping I'M THE MAN from ever settling into predictability.
