Francesca Lee

The Pieces Left (Modo Rama Music)

By Camille Ikalina Robles
Published: February 11th, 2010 | 7:01am

On the cover of her sophomore release, The Pieces Left, singer-songwriter Francesca Lee dons a peach colored vintage dress holding a pair of scissors, cutting out paper hearts that sit strewn across her lap. It's the perfect setting for what you'll find inside this introspective album. Wistful and dreamy, The Pieces Left is deeply reflective lyrically — and musically, luscious pop.

Lovingly crafted over varying piano compositions, the musical narratives reveal characters trying to find their place in the world. A little bit bruised, confused, and questioning, they seem fresh out of a break-up or fresh from a fall and contemplating the broken pieces left on the floor. Still, the songs remain deeply hopeful. This is most obvious on the upbeat, electronic-esque "Fly." Here, Lee sings, "I know I'm hard to find / Please give me some more time," and later in the chorus, "Where do I begin / Will I ever be sure of my own life?"

The emotive nature of Lee’s songs is a pretty convincing promotion of her live show. Instantly likable and sing-able, it is a sincere compliment when I say Lee's songs could easily be a soundtrack to a primetime drama. "Fly" along with "Maybe Today," "Losing You," and "Truth and Lies" are musical gems and most defining of Lee's luscious piano pop. On a few tracks the sentiments become a little repetitive and sometimes mediocre, but when Lee gets it right her compositions musically and lyrically shine.

Francesca Lee official site

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