Missy Higgins - "The Sound of White"(Reprise, 2004) * * * *

This album may be the best thing to come out of Australia's music scene in this decade.

I don't want to sound like I'm overstating things. Australia's been making a big move in building a musical reputation. They've been breaking solidly backed indie folk artists into the mainstream for years; long gone are the days where the island nation-slash-continent was known musically just for AC/DC and INXS. A year ago I reviewed Kasey Chambers, who had made a name for herself as Australia's first true "country" artist. Her music had blown me away, I called her a must-hear artist who was going to turn the American idea of country music on its ear.

Missy Higgins isn't happy fitting the mold of what Australian folk country artists are producing, however. While still in high school, she won the Triple J "Unearthed" demo competition, and her song "All For Believing" became that station's most requested song. A little more than three years later, she's released an album in the US that puts the alternative back in pop.

Her voice stands out, one of those rare voices you'd know anywhere from the first time you hear it. On songs like "Scar" and "Ten Days", she blends piano pop with acoustic folk with a subtlety that belies her age, all with that heavy Australian accent rolling over the notes like caramel. It's a sound I could get used to very quickly, and by the speed at which she's been accepted into the Australian consciousness, it's only a matter of time before she takes America by storm.

As a whole, "The Sound of White" stands out as an accomplished debut by a young woman who will be making a major name for herself. It is a complete album, a work that blends genres to create a sound worthy of attention. Any self-respecting fan of alt-country, alt-pop, or jazzy country should add this album to their collection.

Music:
Missy Higgins - "All For Believing"
Missy Higgins - "Scar"
Missy Higgins - "Nightminds"