The Cricket's Orchestra

Meaghan Smith makes her proper debut with The Cricket's Orchestra, a full-length album that incorporates all four songs from The Cricket's Quartet EP. Although it's tempting to liken Smith's songs to those found on Norah Jones' own jazz-pop debut, The Cricket's Orchestra has its share of unique quirks, including flashes of hip-hop scratching and rich, eclectic production courtesy of Les Cooper. "If You Asked Me" has a big-band arrangement and a vibraphone solo, "Soft Touch" boasts an accordion and strings, and "You Got Out" is relaxed rockabilly in the manner of early k.d. lang. Many of the remaining songs find Smith playing the part of an acoustic singer/songwriter, with Cooper dialing down the production in order to highlight her vocals. Absent from the mix is her cute coffeehouse cover of the Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man," which was released several months prior to this album on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack, but there's enough jazzy pop here to keep the wheels turning smoothly. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide