OVERLOOKED: KATE MILLER-HEIDKE "CURIOUSER"

Curious: I only stumbled upon this classically-trained Australian songstress while flipping through the clearance bin of my local record store.  Curiouser: that the likes of Katy Perry are Ke$ha are massively popular here in the US, while I literally had to go slumming to find this album - it's all so backwards!
Mixing a stinging wit, clever lyrics, amazing musicianship and a uniqueness that is difficult to achieve in the world of blond female pop singers (see my previous review of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"), Miller-Heidke manages to find her own place in the world of pop music with a slightly off-kilter and quirky approach that endears her immediately to the listener.
Opening up with some offbeat vocalizing, the track "The One Thing I Know" is a good intro to the CD although a little bland lyrically.  Moving on, the next track "God's Gift To Women" is a better showcase of Miller-Heidke's charm and sense of humor.  "Caught in the Crowd" is a catchy number that tells a story many of us are familiar with and effortlessly plays into the whole It Gets Better anti-bullying campaigning so popular these days - but keep in mind this CD was released way back in 2008! 
"Can't Shake It" was the first single off the album and is accompanied by a delightfully kooky video.  The first time I heard it I though, eh, it's cool enough.  The guitars are really cool sounding - my partner said they sounds sort of like Franz Ferdinand.  But when I actually listened to the lyrics, I started LOL'ing all over the place!  It's literally talking about how she can't shake her ass.  When she tries to dance, someone calls the nurse because they though she was having a fit.  It's hilarious!
The rest of the album is chock full of great songs that get stuck in your head and show a range of depth and emotion that is not present in a lot of pop music - this can be described as "alternative pop" because it's got a lot of other influences and sounds going on.  Apparently, Kate was trained in opera and you can hear it in some of her singing - there's lots of silly little noises and bird-like sing-songing.  She seems like she would be a really cool chick to hang out with.
I hope that at some point this talented musician gets some more credit in the States, but it sounds like she has done really well in her home country so hopefully she will continue making music for years to come.

Rating: OOOO (four out of five O's)