After listening to local artist Carol Bui‘s Everyone Wore White, released earlier this month on 54º 40′ or Fight! Records, one gets the feeling that she would have been a superstar if the album came out in 1995. Owing more to P.J. Harvey and post-grunge than Lily Allen or Feist, the album seems like an out of place throwback as far as the mainstream goes. What we are left with is a strong effort that showcases a talented singer and songwriter whose work showcases maturity.

The album certainly won’t make us forget the likes of Ms. Polly Jean, and there is no trailblazing going on here, but this release is a welcome addition to D.C.’s catalog of local music. The songs themselves are dark, textured, and well constructed. If the album has a flaw, it is that the material is too dark. Bui’s lyrics put such a focus on gloom and melancholy that unless one is in the midst of a painful breakup or trying to deal with serious emotional turmoil, listening to the album in one sitting becomes a challenge.