//Neon Reviews: Kerli – Love Is Dead//

Record labels have a way of setting a new artist up for unfair criticism sometimes. They have a tendency to throw out labels like “The new [insert hot artist here]” or “the new [insert whatever genre] king, queen, prince, or princess.”

Needless to say when I was prompted to check out “Love is Dead,” the debut album from Kerli, a new artist personally signed to Island Def Jam by LA Reid, dubbed the new Estonia pop princess, I was a little afraid. “Another one of those,” I sighed. But the minute the album started I could tell I was in for something different–something a little more inspiring than gooey gumdrop tracks pop princesses are known for.

Kerli makes no secret of the fact that she’s not willing to have her music placed into a neat little box labeled under any specific genre with this 12 song set. The album opener, and title track, “Love is Dead,” sets the stage for an electrifying musical experience that takes you from dark, goth-rock to soul-grabbing vulnerability heard on the closer “Fragile“; “You think you see me/You like the way I’m strong and stand by you/But I am fragile too,” she belts in her sweet, accented voice.

In between, you’ll find out why the 21-year-old singer/songwriter from Elva, Estonia is probably one of the most exciting new artists to emerge this decade–yeah, it’s that serious. “The Creationist,” “Up Up Up,” and “Beautiful Day” with their pop/r&b sound are among the lighter songs on the set; showcasing Kerli’s songwriting belief in not just female empowerment but “human empowerment.”

Even on the darker-sounding songs, Kerli’s uplifting message is the same. Perhaps she has little time for wallowing in sorrow since coming out of a deep depression a few years ago. She writes about it eloquently in the haunting “Butterfly Cry.”

Other stand outs include the addictive official first single “Walking on Air,” and radio-ready tracks “I Want Nothing,” and “Hurt Me.”

Kerli’s seven year journey from obscure little Estonia (“Nobody knows where it’s at” she teases on “Creepshow“) to musical force in the United States is about to culminate with the release of “Love is Dead” July 8 2008. She’ll fair just fine as long as listeners don’t judge an album by its cover or an artist by the titles slapped on them by their record labels. Pop princess? No, she’s much more than that.

Tweet This Buzz This Delicious Digg This Facebook Reddit Stumble This