One of my favorite albums of 2007 is Sara Bareilles' Little Voice. Paradoxical title, really, because her voice is pretty dang huge, even in a live setting.

The video above is not the pervasive "Love Song", nor the upcoming single "One Sweet Love", but a live version of "City", one of the amazing ballads off the album. Hard to pick whether this is my favorite or "Between the Lines" or the soul-crushing "Gravity". I've fallen hard for literally every song.

Sara Bareilles rails at the comparisons to Norah Jones or Fiona Apple. And she's right to do so. She's much more a female version of Ben Folds than any of the her other ivory-tickling female contemporaries. Her accompaniments flirt with jazz chords, but are definitively pop, and her lyrics weave classic stories of love and heartbreak.

Little Voice is strong with just a touch of vulnerability; melodic with a touch of irony. Girls will instantly feel kinship with it. Guys will like it too because it's not overly sappy (and Sara is a touch of hot, herself).

Little Voice is available for $7.99 at iTunes.