Valery Gore

Beaming and looking relaxed in her photos, one wouldn’t think Gore is a woman whose music navigates the well-trodden dark musings of artists like Tori Amos and Fiona Apple. Now, those last two are probably easy comparisons as Gore also shares her reflections via a stark piano with light instrumentals, but her voice is also very reminiscent of Apple — especially on the jazz-inflected "White Pills” — and Shannon Wright, albeit without the extreme shrieks. From the peppy opener, "Elliott Goes,” to the simple "Deloria,” Gore doesn’t do much here to amaze or knock anyone out, she just sticks to her piano-and-voice driven basics and comes out with a somewhat charming, if not always interesting, debut effort. Only "CBC” comes close to nudging comparisons out the window, as this downbeat, quiet gem is dreamily driven by Gore’s quivering vocals and simple piano chords. Amos has her quirkiness, Apple her intensity and Wright her fierce artiness, and, despite some bright spots, Gore seems still to be trying to her find her little piece of this vast musical field. The overall impression left is that once she does find her muse, Gore has the chops and talent to be a serious competitor.