All Music Guide Rock and Metal Teen Music Celeb 101 Bella Online 1340mag.com Sea Of Tranquility CMJ New Music Monthly Fans of the bluntness of early Liz Phair or Alanis Morissette could find a new friend in Jennifer Marks, a New York based singer/songwriter whose self-titled LP is littered with precocious lyrical honesty—though you might say the candor feels closer to a kid who’s not afraid to tell you you have a booger than a woman who’ll go down on you in a theater. Followers of Top 40 songstresses like Avril Lavigne or Michelle Branch may latch on as well, as Marks’ songs are equally stacked with glossy pop sheen and lovelorn sentiment. Even the Lilith set could see touchstones here, in percussive acoustic strumming and tough-girl posture. Your mom might even like her songs. Which is to say that Marks has a knack for crafting pop songs that straddle a few different camps—she won’t fit snugly into Lite FM (though her heartbreak ballads are deftly arranged), but she’s not quite dating a sk8er boi, either. Her melodic pop is suited more for those who find love in a little of both. — Renee Falk