When I first listened to Imposter by Pearl Charles yesterday, I immediately decided to include the tune in my latest Best of What’s New installment. It’s a track from the L.A. singer-songwriter’s great new album Magic Mirror, to which I’ve since listened in its entirety. Charles’ second full-length album was released on January 15.
According to an artist profile on the website of her record label Kanine Records, the 29-year-old has been playing music since the age of 5. Charles got her professional start at 18 when she teamed up with L.A. fellow musician Christian Lee Hutson to form country duo The Driftwood Singers. After their EP We Will Never Break Up had come out, Charles joined garage rock band The Blank Tapes as drummer. Two years later, she decided to go solo and released an eponymous debut EP in 2015.
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“Drawn to poppy hooks and catchy choruses, Charles draws on what she loves about the 60s, 70s and 80s while developing her unique style as a solo artist,” her Kanine profile states. Charles’ first full-length album Sleepless Dreamer came out in 2018. Rough Trade described as “The best country pop we’ve heard in years” and Buzzfeed called her “A modern June Carter meets Lana Del Rey.“
This brings me to Magic Mirror. Here’s the Abba-esque opener Only for Tonight, which reminds me a bit of Dancing Queen. It was co-written by Charles and indie singer-songwriter Hank Fontaine. This is one catchy tune!
Here’s What I Need, another catchy song. Co-written by Charles and Carrick Moore-Gerety, it has a bit of a ’70s Fleetwood Mac flair. In addition to the singing, I really dig the pedal steel guitar work.
The title track is a beautiful piano-driven ballad. Charles wrote it together with Lewis Pesacow who also produced and engineered the album, and provided keyboards and guitar.
All the Way, which was co-written by Charles and Morgan Nagler, is another great tune. It features nice slide guitar work reminiscent of George Harrison.
Let’s do one more: Sweet Sunshine Wine. Yet another catchy track, it was solely written by Charles.
I think Apple Music hit the nail perfectly on the head in their artist profile: “Charles has a knack for writing melodic, low-key indie pop with a jangling country tone.” I certainly do look forward to more music from this talented singer-songwriter.
Sources: Wikipedia; Kanine Records website; AllMusic; YouTube
Christian's Music Musings 
She sounds really good. Really good pop. Some of her singing….like I said before reminds me of Natalie Merchant and that is a compliment.
Right off the bat I like Sweet Sunshine Wine, Only For Tonight, and All The Way…
Looking forward to what she has to say in the future.
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Agree, Max. I immediately liked “Imposter,” the tune I included in Best of What’s New. That’s what prompted me to listen to the entire album. Pearl Charles definitely has an ear for catchy tunes.
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The music sounds organic….that is what I like about it. It doesn’t sound computerized…with a modern pop beat…its real. Her voice suits it well also.
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Max, shockingly, you and I are once again on the same page! 🙂
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As it should be Christian!
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I like her voice. She has a bit of Karen Carpenter warmth to my ears.
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Thanks, Graham. It’s interesting you said that. At same point while I was listening to the entire album, I also thought of Karen Carpenter. Charles definitely combines ’70s influences with some country flavor and adds her own style to it.
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I like her pleasing pop sound. It’s that little piano trill that makes “Only For Tonight” really sound like “Dancing Queen”.
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