The Philosophy Tree (Barnes & Noble Exclusive)

by Johnny Loftus Despite an initial push for her single "Gotta Get Up from Here" in late 2004, Atlantic Records declined to release Ellie Lawson's debut album, Philosophy Tree. The label still said no, even after an endorsement from Ellen DeGeneres and Lawson's appearance on the comedian's successful daytime talk show. But Barnes & Noble came to the rescue, arranging an exclusive release of the album through its retail stores, and in August 2005 Philosophy Tree finally appeared. And it's weird that Atlantic passed, because Lawson's debut is a dead ringer for Unwritten, the debut of similarly blonde, similarly British Natasha Bedingfield that blew up the U.K. charts. On Philosophy as on Unwritten, strong melodies and empowering lyrics guide programmed beats puttering lightly under strummed acoustic guitars, and samples and swirling string effects fill out the mix. For her part Lawson tries out some boho rapping on "Bigger Than You Ever Imagined," and "Why the Fighting" is urban-savvy, street-level pop. "Gotta Get Up from Here" really is a great single -- DJ Lethal's production meshes the organic and electronic sides ably as Lawson sings about a life crisis at 25 -- and "Down with You" blends R&B flavors with beguiling pop jangle. William Orbit also contributes to "Inside Out" and "LA," perhaps accounting for the latter sounding a lot like Beth Orton. All of this music is on a descending line from Alanis Morissette to Nelly Furtado to Dido. But that doesn't make it bad in the least. Lawson's Philosophy Tree might be sort of calculated, but like Bedingfield, she has a vocal charm that's hard to fake.