Pulse: 60-Second Critic: CD: Urban Angel


(Dorado Records; $12.99)

With the re-release of her underappreciated 2006 debut, there’s hope that a legion of new fans will discover this Fishtown transplant,


With the re-release of her underappreciated 2006 debut, there’s hope that a legion of new fans will discover this Fishtown transplant, who delivers a stirring, sexy record that’s filler-free and rewarding from start to finish. Guitars take a backseat to the keyboards and ambient loops that swirl around Urban Angel‘s centerpiece — Walker’s sweetly powerful voice-as she floats above playful grooves. With a palette ranging from come-hither ("No One Else") to haunting ("Circles"), this is a soundtrack for rainy mornings, blue-sky afternoons and late nights, all at once. Two worthy bonuses on the iTunes edition: a sunny Thievery Corporation remix of "Quicksand," her ode to breakup survival, and "Crush," which is guaranteed to inspire rampant makeout sessions as Walker breathlessly insists, "You can take me anywhere."
Grade: A