“And who do you think you are/Running around leaving scars”, Christina Perri croons on the chorus of single ‘Jar of Hearts’. If you have listened to the radio recently, you will no doubt have heard the song which gave the singer-songwriter a large amount of unexpected success. A piano ballad full of heart-wrenching lyrics – think a modern-day rejuvenation of Vanessa Carlton – the song builds up into a raw emotional-charged break-up: the perfect theme for the pop masses to flock to for comfort. Carlton, of course, became a bit of a one-hit wonder with ‘A Thousand Miles’. And, in many ways, that song was over-played and was over-pianoed.
Perri, however, has more in her repitoire. Second single ‘Arms’ is soon to be out, and possesses more depth than ‘Jar of Hearts’. The song proceeds as a slower folk-based love song and quickly becomes uptempo, with a melodic drum-beat which sounds like a backing track that belongs to Little Miss Sunshine. It comes across as a song you would expect to get bored with, but somehow you don’t.
However, the lyrics still need some work: “You put your arms around me and I’m home”. And generally, its appears as overromantisced and sappy. But it shows this girl should be more than a one-hit wonder.
Rating: 5/10
Good: Subtle and softer, with a good upbeat tempo
Bad: Less hook-based, less catchy and still clichéd
