During the first, unrefined point of some artists' musical careers, they begin as a pale imitation of another more experienced musician, fiddling around with sounds with which they are familiar, instead of focusing on innovation or art. Unfortunately this is the case for Dallas' Tiger Darrow, a skilled and promising young musician whose debut release falls flat due to mimicry.
Hello starts out as a poppy, Michelle Branch-inspired uplifting romp, with the song "Time" sounding as if it were ripped straight out of a Princess Diaries soundtrack. Darrow's a skilled vocalist—her potential shows as she discards her saccharine tone briefly during "Make the News" for a deeper, more soulful sound—but her offerings here are, for the most part, just not particularly interesting. For now, listening to Darrow's music is the equivalent of reading a list of her influences. As the album progresses, the list grows to staggering lengths, covering everyone from Norah Jones to Sarah McLachlan—enough so to make you want to hear the originals.
She's still in high school, so the young pop musician still clearly has plenty of time to ditch the overproduced generic pop. And her staggering talent suggests that she's got the potential to create something more memorable and personal down the line. Too bad she had to make this album first.
