Blackout is a starkly acoustic album that features Vanessa's voice and guitar and is reminiscent of Patty Griffin's early work. Recorded by Salim Nourallah (Kristy Kruger, Rhett Miller, Nourallah Brothers), the stripped-down production allows the listener to focus on the building blocks of any good song - a lingering melody well-sung and

Blackout is a starkly acoustic album that features Vanessa's voice and guitar and is reminiscent of Patty Griffin's early work. Recorded by Salim Nourallah (Kristy Kruger, Rhett Miller, Nourallah Brothers), the stripped-down production allows the listener to focus on the building blocks of any good song - a lingering melody well-sung and well-played, and lyrics that carry their own weight. The songs are simple and direct, yet have a resonance far beyond the easy folk/rock categorization. A recent review says: 'The title track tells the story of the New York power outage shortly after September 11th, and two lost souls who find themselves speaking in the darkness; "The Hero and the Heroine" is a perfect radio song, just under 3 minutes, yet manages to spin a storytelling web in that short time, transporting the listener to a small Tuscan town and the lovers who live there. Her voice manages to be light and playful on that track, and dusty and despondent on "Afford to Pretend." Her ability to change tone and setting with slight change in her voice's register is one of her greatest strengths as a performer.' Blackout features 2 acoustic versions of songs from 'Little Films' and 3 new tracks.