When I was in high school, I had a huge crush on Vanessa Carlton. There was something about her voice and the way she naively looked at the camera that always got me. Most people got over her after “A Thousand Miles” ran its course, but my affection continued all the way through the singer's second album Harmonium thanks in part to the wildly underrated “White Houses” track. Admittedly, I sort of forgot she existed after that, but today, I came across a video of her on Conan performing a rendition of “I Don't Want To Be A Bride”. Take a listen below…



Singing alongside an underage choir, she still looks and sounds like a pop star. Her new album Rabbits On The Run was released late last month, and it's been receiving some pretty solid reviews. I'm going to check it out, and I'd encourage you to do the same. More than anything else, Carlton has been a victim of music's evolution toward danceable, hip-hop influenced radio pop, but that alteration should not be taken as a commentary on what she does. She's about to embark on a North American tour. It kicks off in late September at the House Of Blues in New Orleans and winds its way through Chicago in October. Check out her MySpace for specific dates.