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In an era when American Idol is drenched in Britney Spears wannabes, a genuine-grassroots-Top 40 musician is hard to come by. Canadian Clara Lofaro brings hope to organic pop with catchy songwriting and musical composition. Her debut album, Black + Blue Pearl, spans an impressive array of genres – from lounge tunes and upbeat hip hop to acoustic pop and meringue – while keeping its radio-friendliness.

Clara plays the piano and sings, though many of the songs feature other musicians on horns, strings, percussion, and accordion. A backup vocalist adds to the color of often complicated vocal harmonies. The album’s dynamics are tremendous. Background sounds add much to the overall musical experience of Black + Blue Pearl. Atmospheric ocean waves and tasteful percussion add excellent finishing touches to melodic chord progressions and full vocal harmonies.

The title track, “Black+ Blue Pearl,” almost fits in the party/hip hop category. It’s Top 40 worthy, and very sultry. Clara is sexy and stylish, and her confidence comes out on this one.

In the pop-rock tune “Dizzy Spell”, the lyrics are nursery-rhyme-like, as Lofaro attaches dreamy characters (like Papa Sun and Mama Lune) in each verse to the chorus: “Wait for me Dear/Wait for me here/Wait til the morning for silence/Darkness falls fast/Dreams never last/Look to the moonlight for freedom.” While many (perhaps too many) of her songs fulfill that guy/girl pop image, “Dizzy Spell” disguises itself creatively, forcing listeners to interpret the metaphors; it’s an example of intelligent pop.

“War Song” and “Star-Candy,” are more lyrically universal, more understandable, and just plain beautiful. Both tunes are slower than the title-track, but veer away from the mainstream toward something deeper and heartfelt. This outside-the-box songwriting is something I can see Lofaro successfully expanding upon in the future.
The album is one thorough and artistic idea, but still lacks the polish of professional production. Apart from a few weak moments, the indie-grassroots tone is imperfectly great. At many moments I found myself singing the melody, but there’s an unexpected tonality. Her angelic voice can go mildly flat, but it speaks to the “realness” of Clara Lofaro. The authentic pop artist gets a million more kudos than the one who finds inspiration in imitation. Clara imitates no one and finds her niche in writing all manner of songs, some of which you may not like, but all of which you will respect.