Album: Lissie, Catching a Tiger (Columbia)

Lissie Maurus is a 27-year-old Californian trying to kick-start her music career in London.

She shouldn't struggle. Her debut album is as refreshing a slice of pop as these jaded ears have heard in years, channeling Edie Brickell one moment, Stevie Nicks the next, and Bobbie Gentry at will. When it's great (the first four songs, in particular), it is enough to restore your faith. When it sags in the middle, it's still pretty good. Where does she fit in to the post-Gaga world? Lissie may be just the person to make that question irrelevant.