"Karma" is a reclamation project of sorts, featuring newly recorded vocals and remixed tracks salvaged from an album that Owen made with producers Glen Ballard and Clifton Magness a decade ago. That recording, which would have marked Owen's major-label debut, was never released because of a corporate shuffle. In revisiting these songs, Owen hasn't tried to strip them of all sonic ties to the past, whether it's an electronically processed vocal or an angsty arrangement that evokes vintage Alanis Morissette or Tori Amos. But faded influences aside, Owen's voice is so lovely and soulful, even spellbinding at times, that she has no problem convincing us that looking over her shoulder is time well spent. Given her knack for composing ballads, it's not surprising that some of the songs that have held up the best over the years, such as "Shine," "Who's That Girl," "Let's Hear It for Love" and the Ballard-produced "Creatures of Habit" unfold slowly and shrewdly.
Incidentally, Owen dedicates "Mopping Up Karma" to her husband, writer and actor Harry Shearer of "This Is Spinal Tap" and "The Simpsons" fame. If he didn't come up with the album's perfectly apt title, no doubt he wishes he had.
"Karma" is a reclamation project of sorts, featuring newly recorded vocals and remixed tracks salvaged from an album that Owen made with producers Glen Ballard and Clifton Magness a decade ago. That recording, which would have marked Owen's major-label debut, was never released because of a corporate shuffle. In revisiting these songs, Owen hasn't tried to strip them of all sonic ties to the past, whether it's an electronically processed vocal or an angsty arrangement that evokes vintage Alanis Morissette or Tori Amos. But faded influences aside, Owen's voice is so lovely and soulful, even spellbinding at times, that she has no problem convincing us that looking over her shoulder is time well spent. Given her knack for composing ballads, it's not surprising that some of the songs that have held up the best over the years, such as "Shine," "Who's That Girl," "Let's Hear It for Love" and the Ballard-produced "Creatures of Habit" unfold slowly and shrewdly.