After peeling open Kate Earl's album, I slapped it in and while I began listening I decided to peruse the liner notes. For all of the album's innocuous prettiness, and blasé lyrical pretensions - the most impressive aspect of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter or (excuse me) Fate is the Hunter is the roster of supporting players and producers who have offered their services. Perhaps, it's this fact that makes the album something of a disappointment. From Jon Brion to Mitchell Froom, to Michael Penn and producer Tony Berg (I'm forgetting several) I was prepared to be wowed by this Alaskan princess, sadly the proceedings rarely rise above the level of pleasant sounding mush.

With a voice that invites comparisons to Fiona Apple (albeit in a higher register and with none of the loopy passion) the promise of Kate's debut is lost in it's own cloying lyrics caught somewhere between a Lifetime channel movie and the self-help section of Barnes and Noble. Fate is the Hunter would serve nicely as background music for either, but the only thing that the album really proves is potential. Not that it isn't easy on the ears - particularly with the top-drawer group of players laying down the tracks - but this little train that should, sputters out well before the top of the hill. It does manage to stay on the rails and certainly isn't gonna hurt anyone - constructed as it is of Styrofoam and nerf - but the lack of a real standout track and it's same-ishly pretty but hookless Earl-gray melancholia makes Fate little more than a book mark - to be picked up later in hopes that her next effort will find her Bound for Glory. Only a fool would write her off at this stage of the game - a little maturity and a more potent offense could easily right the ship.

Note: in my next review I promise to employ metaphors about automobiles and airplanes as well.