Anna Wilson: Time Changes Everything

She’s got a voice like crème de cacao and an inner metronome that swings wildly from age to age. Indeed, judging from this sophomore effort, Pennsylvanian Anna Wilson has yet to meet a musical era she doesn’t like.

Winding her way through 13 original tunes-most built around optimistic sentiments of the look-for-the-silver-lining and love-gone-right variety-and one cover (a sly and slightly pouty reading of “Wedding Bell Blues,” Laura Nyro’s peppy homage to an overanxious bride-in-waiting)-Wilson suggests a hip Gen-Xer decked out in vintage couture. Though her postmodern sound is distinctly her own, she can evoke the 1930s (the zingy “Gonna Dance”), ’40s (the smoky “Fedora”) or ’50s (the creamy “Sentimental Sundays”) with uniform ease. Most remarkable, though, is Wilson’s ability, as a songwriter, to capture the past with such validity, never expressing a feeling that sounds forced or faux.

Originally Published May 1, 2007