MATTHEW STEFANSON
Arts Writer

Cynicism is a terrible thing. It makes it easy to dismiss things for superficial reasons while possibly impairing a very rewarding experience. It’s easy to be cynical about Eliza Doolittle’s debut album.

First impression — using the tried and true “book by its cover” method — reveals a young woman trading off of a sexuality that is two parts Zooey Deschanel-style quirkiness and one part Miley Cyrus-style youth. In a cynic’s eyes this could pass for another one of the calculated attempts to capture an audience through packaging.

The music is pleasant. In one instance it is a bit too reggae inspired for my tastes, but — then again — a good whiff of Marley sends me running for the hills.

A glance at her bio reveals a tale of a pop star in the making. Born in London, Eliza (real name Eliza Sophie Caird) moved to New York’s Lower East Side, where she gallivants on her bicycle (appropriately antique, of course) in the video for “Rollerblades.” A tale of commercial success no doubt, but of course, this is the cynic’s perspective.

What is buried underneath all of this is a fantastic record. Doolittle’s songwriting is crisp, occasionally funny and constantly self-aware. She draws from a varied list of musical influences. The record brings out everything from Motown to blues — evoking notable luminaries from the Jackson 5 to Edith Pilaf.

The amount of the credit that is due to Doolittle, and the amount that should be given to the talented producers and songwriters she works with — an impressive list who have collaborated with the likes of Sia and Amy Winehouse — is up for speculation, but it would be impossible for Doolittle to perform the material in such an evocative way if she wasn’t at least aware of the connection.

It would be easy to pass her off as another Lily Allen clone — and therefore an Amy Winehouse clone, and any number of steps before that — but that attitude only serves to deprive the listener. Eliza Doolittle has made a debut album which speaks for itself. Cynics may well disregard it for any number of superficial reasons, but you don’t have to listen to it very closely to recognize that this is an album of quality made by an artist of possible substance.

Eliza Doolittle – Rollerblades