I've received countless personal recommendations to listen to Finnish rockers Lullacry over the past two years. It took me some time to finally get around to actually doing so, but when I did, I simply wasn't impressed and went on my way. But upon stumbling across the band's MySpace profile recently, my interest was peaked by the ridiculously catchy ways of the latest single "Stranger In You." I could not stop listening to that song, and before I knew what I was getting myself into I was halfway to Hasting's with $12 in my hand.

As you may have guessed, Vol. 4 is Lullacry's fourth album. The band's current frontwoman Tanja Lainio has been on board since 2002, first taking on vocal duties on 2003's Crucify My Heart. Describing Tanja's sound can be tricky -- she lacks the soothing quality of The Gathering's unmatchable Anneke Van Giersbergen and the operatic capabilities of someone like fellow Finn Tarja Turunen. Instead, Tanja opts for a fun, '80s pop singing style, and this is something that has its distinct ups and downs. Listening to Tanja can be quite enjoyable at times, but her nasally tone tends to grate on my nerves in certain songs.

The intriguing contrast between Tanja's youthful voice and the swirling, fast-paced guitars is something that can be found in large doses throughout Vol. 4. The album is a bit short at only 40 minutes, but I think that's quite suitable for Lullacry's sound -- they clearly lack the epic, dramatic, drawn-out symphonic nature of most bands they are frequently compared to, so there's no need to fill up space anywhere. Keeping the songs short and energetic leaves the listener with less time to analyze each and every flaw, which is actually something that very few people will find themselves doing while listening to a band like Lullacry.

Crunchy guitars introduce Vol. 4's bubbly opener "Perfect Tonight," a song that serves as an immediate way for the listener to decide whether or not they will enjoy Lullacry or not. Those looking for sorrow and depth will be better off looking somewhere else, as this track is packed with lyrics about the goofy first stages of a romantic relationship, an addictive, feel-good chorus and all kinds of cheery pinch harmonics. "Love, Lust, Desire" sounds like it was directly lifted from pop radio circa 1985. The guitars are a little smoother here than those in its extremely fast predecessor, and Tanja's simple vocals work really well in the song's unforgettably punchy chorus: "I wanna fe-e-e-eeel the flames / (feel the flames) / go higher / Love, lust, desi-i-ire!"

"Stranger In You" is undoubtedly Vol. 4's shining moment. If Lullacry toured with just the right band and got this song a little exposure here in America, I could see it becoming an absolutely massive hit on Top 40 radio. The distortion of Tanja's playful voice works with the slinky guitar grooves perfectly. "Stranger In You" transitions effortlessly from slower verses to an explosive sing-along of a chorus that won't leave your head for weeks. "I Want You" has a similar charm, although it's considerably slower and Tanja's quirky delivery loses its magic toward the end.

But for every positive thing I can say about Vol. 4, there is a negative point I can make as well. "Fire Within" serves up the pace of a punk song on crack, and Tanja's voice just can't keep up. Her attempts to get louder and to work in a more aggressive vocal tone are unsuccessful, as she smothers the song in what can kindly be referred to as an unpleasant, nasally shriek. "Heart Shaped Scars" is reason enough for Lullacry to avoid dabbling in "ballad" territory from this point on. Needless to say, Tanja is the weakest link here -- her voice is NOT cut out for a dreamy and relaxing atmosphere, for it is far too immature for such a thing. She can pull off a cutesy pop-rock style, but when it comes to pure range and vocal beauty, she lacks the chops. Period.

I could go the route of calling Vol. 4 a "take it or leave it" release, but it will obviously appeal much more to fans of female fronted rock and metal. Tanja Lainio may seem like a far cry from a gothic singer, as she has tons more in common vocally with Gwen Stefani and Cyndi Lauper than she does with Sharon den Adel or Simone Simons, but occasionally Lullacry's pop-meets-metal formula can work exceptionally well. The blandness of songs like "Soul In Half" and "King Of Pain" prevent Vol. 4 from being something that is constantly interesting, but I think it's a decent purchase and I don't regret looking into it. I am quite sure that fans of both pop and metal (and, lo and behold - a 50/50 mixture of the two!) won't either.







Recommended: Yes