Kay Hanley’s Cherry Marmalade is a smoothly executed work of upbeat pop/rock. The Bostonian Hanley was the lead singer of defunct mid-`90s band Letters to Cleo, whose cover of “I Want You to Want Me” from the movie “10 Things I Hate About You” was a real guilty pleasure in the spring of 1999. One marriage and a baby later, she’s back with a charming record that’s a pleasure to listen to, although it may not distinguish her from mature soprano songstresses like Lisa Loeb and Jill Sobule. Hanley impresses with the stylistic breadth of the album’s 12 songs
As a lyricist, she occasionally errs toward triteness but more often, her songs are marked by heartfelt wit, catchy choruses and ingratiating hooks (radio-friendly winners like “Fall,” “Mean Streak” and “Princely Ghetto” have all three). In an era when the only solo, non-R’B female artists who seem to get radio airplay are banal adolescents like Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton, Hanley faces an uphill battle toward the pop-star status that she deserves.