This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
She got signed to a major label while she was still a teenager, back in the days of Alanis Morissette-mania. Then her debut album got lost in the shuffle during the hoopla over Fiona Apple.
Now, a few years older and a whole lot wiser, Lauren Hoffman finally gets her much-deserved moment in the spotlight with the compelling From The Blue House. With a style that falls somewhere between Fiona’s artsy fragility, Alanis’s hippie soulfulness and Liz Phair’s sharp-tongued swagger, Hoffman’s hand-woven, acoustic guitar-driven songs pack a whole lot of emotion and power into a fetching, hummable package. As long as Alanis or Fiona don’t rush-release new CDs this week, Hoffman’s House should have the place to itself.
