Cake And Pie\nLisa Loeb\nA&M Records\nThis is pansy rock. It's flowery -- the music of curly typeface and cat-eyed glasses. The album is called Cake And Pie for crying out loud. But, for as much cutesy lilt as there is in Lisa Loeb's voice, her third full album (minus cassette tape efforts in her early years) carries a bite and precision that makes listening to pop music worthwhile. \nLoeb has graduated from the super-radio success of "Stay," the surprise hit from the "Reality Bites" soundtrack. She's still wistful and sings of strained relationships in her lyrics, but rounds them out with strings, layered vocals and electric guitars. \nCake And Pie's full sound is both a benefit and detractor. Some songs leave you wishing for simplicity, while others blend light acoustic pickings with just the right amount of electricity. Much of the developed sound and electricity comes from the collaboration of boyfriend Dweezil Zappa, Randy Scruggs, Glen Ballard and Peter Collins. Despite these efforts, the album carries a sameness that gets boring at times. \nWith lyrics of abandonment, doubts and loneliness, you shouldn't listen to this album if you just went through a bad break-up. Loeb (and company) looks at her world honestly and records her thoughts. Sometimes too honestly. No matter how true it might be, the lines "I like things that are so good / You are so, so good / I like you," from "Underdog," just don't make for a good intro. \nAs a counterbalance to the occasional way-too-cuteness of some lyrics, Loeb comes back biting on "She's Falling Apart," a sad song about a painfully anorexic girl and her parents' realization of the truth. A blues-tinged guitar solo tops off the best track on the album.\nAll in all, Loeb's newest release is a solid album, with a spice of honesty and musical style that gives her ultra-sweet character more depth. Hopefully, Loeb still has room to branch out further and show us just what she is capable of. Cake And Pie might leave you wishing for a piece of music with a little more mincemeat and less stale apple. \n
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