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Part of Sara Bareilles' charm is that she's one of the few millennial singer/songwriters who are unashamed of being polished and mainstream. She revels in rich, detailed productions, which is what makes Once Upon Another Time -- a stopgap EP designed to tide over fans as she prepares her third album -- a little disarming at first. Working with Ben Folds, a co-judge of hers from the NBC series The Sing-Off, Bareilles strips her sound to its core, opening the five-song EP with its skeletal title track. Things get a little bit more elaborate from there -- "Lie to Me" is built upon trip-hop loops and swoons into Beatlesque psychedelia -- and she certainly demonstrates the influence of the perennially smirking Folds on the profanity-riddled "Sweet as Whole," a dirty joke that bogs down way too quickly. Something similar could be said about the simplicity of the production: as sweet as some of these spare voice-and-piano tunes are, it's hard not to wish they were a little more adorned. Nevertheless, the songs are generally good -- "Sweet as Whole" irritates like a piece of popcorn stuck in the teeth but the others are strongly constructed, melodic ballads, highlighted by the single "Stay" and "Lie to Me" -- and Bareilles remains a thoroughly engaging performer. As a teaser, this certainly whets the appetite for her next full-length record.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Ben Folds, Producer - Joe Costa, Mixing Engineer - Joe Costa, Recording Engineer - Leslie Richter, 2nd Engineer - Sara Bareilles, Composer - Sara Bareilles, Lyricist - Sara Bareilles, Performer - Sara Bareilles, Vocal
(P) 2012 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Ben Folds, Bass - Ben Folds, Drums - Ben Folds, Piano - Ben Folds, Producer - Ben Folds, Strings - David Angell, Violin - David Davidson, Violin - Joe Costa, Mixing Engineer - Joe Costa, Recording Engineer - Kristin Wilkinson, Viola - Leslie Richter, 2nd Engineer - Ruby Amanfu, Vocal - Sara Bareilles, Composer - Sara Bareilles, Lyricist - Sara Bareilles, Performer - Sara Bareilles, Piano - Sara Bareilles, Ukulele - Sara Bareilles, Vocal - Sari Reist, Acoustic Cello - The Collective, Background Vocal
(P) 2012 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Ben Folds, Producer - Ben Folds, Strings - Joe Costa, Mixing Engineer - Joe Costa, Recording Engineer - Leslie Richter, 2nd Engineer - Sam Farrar, Bass - Sam Farrar, Edited By - Sam Farrar, Percussion - Sam Farrar, Programmer - Sam Farrar, Synthesizer - Sara Bareilles, Composer - Sara Bareilles, Lyricist - Sara Bareilles, Percussion - Sara Bareilles, Performer - Sara Bareilles, Piano - Sara Bareilles, Programmer - Sara Bareilles, Vocal
(P) 2012 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Ben Folds, Piano - Ben Folds, Producer - Ben Folds, Vocal - Joe Costa, Mixing Engineer - Joe Costa, Recording Engineer - Leslie Richter, 2nd Engineer - Leslie Richter, Background Vocal - Sam Farrar, Bass - Sam Farrar, Percussion - Sam Farrar, Vocal - Sara Bareilles, Composer - Sara Bareilles, Lyricist - Sara Bareilles, Performer - Sara Bareilles, Piano - Sara Bareilles, Vocal
(P) 2012 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Ben Folds, Percussion - Ben Folds, Piano - Ben Folds, Producer - Joe Costa, Mixing Engineer - Joe Costa, Recording Engineer - Leslie Richter, 2nd Engineer - Sara Bareilles, Composer - Sara Bareilles, Lyricist - Sara Bareilles, Performer - Sara Bareilles, Piano - Sara Bareilles, Vocal
(P) 2012 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
Part of Sara Bareilles' charm is that she's one of the few millennial singer/songwriters who are unashamed of being polished and mainstream. She revels in rich, detailed productions, which is what makes Once Upon Another Time -- a stopgap EP designed to tide over fans as she prepares her third album -- a little disarming at first. Working with Ben Folds, a co-judge of hers from the NBC series The Sing-Off, Bareilles strips her sound to its core, opening the five-song EP with its skeletal title track. Things get a little bit more elaborate from there -- "Lie to Me" is built upon trip-hop loops and swoons into Beatlesque psychedelia -- and she certainly demonstrates the influence of the perennially smirking Folds on the profanity-riddled "Sweet as Whole," a dirty joke that bogs down way too quickly. Something similar could be said about the simplicity of the production: as sweet as some of these spare voice-and-piano tunes are, it's hard not to wish they were a little more adorned. Nevertheless, the songs are generally good -- "Sweet as Whole" irritates like a piece of popcorn stuck in the teeth but the others are strongly constructed, melodic ballads, highlighted by the single "Stay" and "Lie to Me" -- and Bareilles remains a thoroughly engaging performer. As a teaser, this certainly whets the appetite for her next full-length record.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 5 track(s)
- Total length: 00:24:16
- Main artists: Sara Bareilles
- Composer: Sara Bareilles
- Label: Epic
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 2012 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
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