But I digress. Bailey's nimble, inspired six-string work offers all the appeal one needs to be drawn to "Little Misunderstood". And with a muscular oufit pounding out the sumptuous melodies behind her, there's no dismissing this artist as just another pretty face.

Ten affecting original compositions (the lone cover being a nice reinterpretation of "Caravan") with nary a repeated idea in the lot. Bailey ventures a bit beyond the predictable patterns of guitar-fueled jazz. Every time you think you've nailed down her influences, Bailey and band create a sleight of hand maneuver that leads you in another direction. Take a shot at funk, based on the busy bass underpinnings of "Hunk" or the rocking pulse of "Ood Oov" (which cleverly, is voodoo reversed), and Bailey throws a smooth trio-like outing such as "Nardis" at you. Settle on soothing sojourns such as the electric-framed acoustic lines of "Waltz For NK" or the sax shadings of "Shells Unshattered", and she gut-punches you with the whirling instrumental rage of "Early Stages".

Speaking of which; right before "Stages" closes in on its bridge, the melody drags as if the master tape reel's spin was impeded for a brief second. I don't know if it was intentional or a glitch, and I don't want to know...just let me wallow in how hip that production touch comes across.

Credit her also for knowing when to say when; not a single solo is drawn out in the name of showmanship. And when you consider some of the talents behind her (bassist Vince Loving, sax phenom Glenn Cashman, and the drumming trio of Adrian Green, Jon Seligman, and Lenny Robinson), I bet the temptation was Eve and the apple-ish.

In spite of such glorious moments, "Little Misunderstood" does get a little slick at times (the overly heavy employment of synth on "Honk", for example), and the Adrian Belew-type squalls injected into "Ood Oov" even manage to push that spunky journey into saccharine realms.