ALBUM REVIEW: Sara Bareilles mixes up a sweet surprise in “What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress”

It’s the best of both words for pop lovers and Broadway lovers alike; pop singer Sara Bareilles’ latest creative venture writing for the soon-to-open Broadway musical “Waitress” has revealed a fun and surprising new side to the songstress in her al

bum “What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress”.

Released just this month, “What’s Inside” takes Bareilles’ typical fanbase (many of whom were originally won over by her fun, sassy hit “Love Song”) on an entirely new journey. While, rest assured, her fans will still get the classic Sara Bareilles sound that they’ve grown to love, there’s something new inside as well: a classic Broadway sound.

The musical is adapted from the film “Waitress”, which, serendipitously, debuted in 2007, the same year that Bareilles’ “Love Song” made waves on the radio charts. It’s a new-age story that director Diane Paulus knew needed a new-age score, and who better for the job than Bareilles.

The 24-track album (12 songs, each with its own commentary track) is charming and real, diving head-first into the quirky (sometimes dark) details of lead character Jenna’s life as a pregnant waitress with an abusive husband.

As Bareilles explains in the commentary for each track, Jenna is known for her brilliant pies that she bakes fresh each day at the diner. It becomes a theme throughout the album, with the opening lines of the first song being a haunting round of “Sugar…butter…flour”.

Each song becomes like a different pie of Bareilles’ creation: different flavors of musical inspiration tucked into a firm outer shell of her signature style. You jump from a beautiful, lilting ballad in “Soft Place to Land” with introspective lyrics (“But dreams are elusive, dreams come and they go”), immediately into the hilariously quirky “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” with its quick-worded lyrics detailing the awkward beginnings of new love. You might get a bit of genre whiplash along the way, but with the consistency in quality of both lyric and voice, it’s a small price to pay.

A little surprise that awaits Bareilles fans is the help of singer Jason Mraz (“I’m Yours”) on Act I closer “Bad Idea”. It’s a song that Bareilles says she tried to make “fiery, feverish and passionate” about the growing love affair between lead character Jenna and her doctor. Mraz and Bareilles have such surprisingly similar tones that sometimes they are indistinguishable in the song, but their vocal chemistry is undeniable.

It’s an album full of surprises that both broadway and Bareilles fans alike will surely jump for joy over. Bareilles uses her lyrical and vocal talents to breathe life into this beloved story, creating a musical adaptation worthy of a modern Broadway stage.

So, what’s inside? Something new: a pop musical with huge heart.

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