Dana Alexandra’s first full-length album is, in a word, sweet.

Her music is a perfect reflection of her bubbly, girl-next-door personality. It would be easy to write this pretty, folksy songstress off as another mildly flaky artistic-type with a guitar, but her precocious persona is balanced out with enough grace and soul that she comes off as perfectly charming. And listen to just one song and it’s apparent: the girl can blow.

I recently heard her play at Box Lunch Revue in downtown York, accompanied by the York trio Free Breakfast. In the middle of a song, she spun off into an a capella riff that quieted the lunchtime crowd until nearly all conversation had stopped and all eyes were on her. It was at once powerful and effortless.

And she can write, too. Nearly every song on this album is in regular rotation at our house. The songs Feels Like Home, Hand Me Down and Rock, Paper, Scissors are on playlists we share with out-of-town visitors as examples of the homegrown talent we get to enjoy in York. The songs are catchy and her lyrics are easy to relate to. Her music fits many moods and has broad appeal. What’s more, she makes it seem easy.

The lead track, Swallow, accomplishes the feat of being cute without being cutesy. Show and Tell follows suit, but with a more grown-up, folksier vibe that almost makes you wonder if it’s actually a cover of some old song. It’s not; this is just a girl who knows how to write music that is well-suited to her strengths. She is at home in her very distinct style.

Jenny’s Song, a track about a friend who struggles with mental illness, achieves a hopeful melancholy that underscores how adept she is at writing lyrics that are illustrative and universal. Don’t smacks of Ingrid Michaelson, but was probably written before any of us had ever heard (and subsequently gotten sick of) The Way I Am (with no disrespect to Ingrid, who is lovely).

Dana Alexandra plays all over the region, and puts on a great live show, whether playing solo or with friends. Her sunny and sincere disposition, well-crafted songs, and impressive talent blend seamlessly into a perfectly sweet package that stops short of cloying. Indeed, it’s delightfully endearing.

~JSS