Charlotte Martin
Water Breaks Stone

If we had to make a list of all those artists who we believe deserve a much greater success than what they manage to achieve, knowing they are confined to a niche for a few listeners, we would probably never finish, given the exceedingly high number of people who, despite lacking any artistic talent, sell millions of copies at the expense of an equally large group of infinitely more musically gifted individuals.

Well, at the top of my list is the beautiful (the album cover reviewed here does her no justice) American singer-songwriter and pianist Charlotte Martin, practically unknown beyond the borders of her homeland, where she nonetheless has a rather modest following, despite having released nine studio albums and eight EPs. This, in itself, isn't strange, given that, as mentioned, the number of artists trying to emerge is incredibly vast, but it becomes utterly incomprehensible when you realize the quality of the music the girl offers: let's be clear, her compositions are far from being innovative or revolutionary, but her skill in weaving incredibly evocative and dreamlike pop melodies on the piano is anything but unnoticed. It's also striking that such quality is surprisingly consistent and well-distributed across all her records, and her latest "Water Breaks Stone" is no exception.

Leaving behind the ancestral and wild sounds that characterized the previous "Dancing on Needles," Charlotte ventures into new territories embracing a more electronic and cybernetic atmosphere, partly suggested by the cover, without, however, distorting her dreamlike imprint in composing and writing songs. As you listen, you move from the synthetic flavors of "Science and Love" to the driving rhythms of "Spine" and "Not a Sure Thing," a curious yet successful synth-lounge experiment, then landing on the electronic shores of the title track and the evocative "Where the Soul Never Dies." However, where the girl truly shines is in constructing pieces that, second by second, grow more and more until they become solemn and majestic concentrates of beats and strings, reaching great heights in the majestic "Battle Cry" and the poignant "Gravity" and "12 Years," probably the three best songs of the lot. Equally noteworthy are the simpler compositions, like the closing "When the Sun Finds Me" and "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," piano-voice ballads where the beauty and sweetness of Martin's enchanting voice erupt, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful voices currently around.

In short, "Water Breaks Stone" is yet another gem produced by what is probably the most underrated artist of recent years and who, in my opinion, absolutely deserves to be heard, especially considering that, at a time when Tori Amos has lost the luster of her early days, Charlotte Martin fills the void left by her (and, at least from the more carefree side, partially filled by Regina Spektor), positioning herself as the new muse of piano-pop and as the author of some of the most solid and successful compositions produced in this genre in recent years.

Rating: 4.5