Another Girl's intro is liable to make you think that you're about to hear some interesting, avant-garde jazz/poetry thing -- intricate drums and flying sax tones join a woman's yells to form something really interesting. Unfortunately, it's actually more like a skit, as it soon becomes clear that the yells are intended to stop the proceedings, and allow everyone to settle down into a faux-jazz, faux-hip-hop groove (you know, the kind that sounded cool when Us3 recorded "Cantaloop". Eleven years ago). The lyrics aren't likely to score any points with the discriminating music listener, either: "Talk to me / 'cause I'm your lady / That's what you used to say / That's how it's meant to be." Yeesh.

Of course, the inoffensive jazz/hip-hop thing doesn't continue throughout the album. The inoffensiveness spans many genres, from the guitar-rock-extra-lite of "No Matter" to "Tomorrow"'s quasi-funk, to weepy piano ballad "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Of course, "inoffensive" does not by any means equate to "decent". Yola has a few things going for her: she's a fetching young lass, her Polish accent places her in a long line of female performers whose exotic delivery adds appeal to her music (see Nico), and she's earnest as all get-out.

On the other hand, not one of these tracks has a particularly memorable hook. Okay, wait, that's not true -- but the one memorable track is a cover of the Shocking Blues' "Venus", and Yola's version isn't much of an improvement on the one you've been enduring in ladies' razor commercials. Yola is game enough in attempting the song, but everything from the forced-sounding growl in her voice (a stylistic choice that plagues much of Another Girl) to the weird effect that swells and fades at the end of certain lines, fails to click.

Another Girl is one of those albums that, as a critic, you hate to give a bad review. Then again, it doesn't do Yola, her potential listeners or my reputation any good to pretend that it's worth your time or money. Hopefully Yola can use her vocal abilities and her urge to create music to make something truly new, vibrant, and worthwhile...next time.