She's an anomaly: young but classic, straight-laced and powerful, inexperienced but versatile. Ana Laura, the return of the pop diva when you least expected it. If anyone can bring back classic power-pop, it's her.
She grew up between two cultures in South Texas and she brings the best of both worlds to her self-titled debut, released this past March. "My vision of pop culture is a lot different than I imagine the rest of America's is," she shares. "Pop culture has become slang. I'd like to see it have a little more class, a little more culture. It's become weird to be good and sweet and nice and proper, and I'd like to see that brought back." Like I said, this is the girl to turn the tide.
"Ana Laura" is CCM like we haven't heard since the 90s, richly orchestrated, crisp pop that frames Laura's extraordinary vocal prowess perfectly. This 19 year-old has pipes to spare, going from languid to rocker to edgy with ease. I enjoyed her most when she threatened to go edgy in opener "Sometimes" and again in "Water," a Latin-flaired jazzy-pop piece where she really cuts loose. Each view of her potential power only made me want more.
The album's 11 songs are a mix of genres and writers, the songs nicely showcasing Laura's enormous versatility. Matthew West and Sam Mizell wrote "Completely" which Laura claims as a life anthem. It makes sense because she completely owns this song, giving a rendition that drips with sincerity. Another standout track is the deeply worshipful "Abide in Me," enriched by Jennifer Kummer's gently haunting French horn. Ana Laura will do more than support young people with this encouraging debut; I think her appeal will cross the generational lines, another nice trick you rarely see.
