Who is she? A former teen actress from Australia who studied under Cate Blanchett (full name: Lenka Kripac, age 20), she got her musical start in the electronic pop group Decoder Ring and has focused on singing ever since.
Why the buzz? She has a TV résumé that reads like a perfect storm of modern hit-making. Her bubbly single "The Show" was used in a recent smattering of Old Navy commercials (Ingrid Michaelson's big break) as well as fall promos for ABC's "Ugly Betty." It is also being used in previews for the new faux-Minnesota movie "New to Town" with Renee Zellweger. She has been a VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist and saw her eponymous debut land at No. 3 in Billboard's Heatseekers chart in October.
What do we think? For now, it's all about "The Show" -- as well as the show that is Lenka's TV-ready good looks. The rest of her album, including the second single, "Trouble Is a Friend," lacks the infectious toe-tapping charm of the big hit, plus her whispery-soft voice sounds a bit generic and flat throughout. Still, her piano- and string-laden pop songs are sweet and sentimental stuff for a year when we all might need a little fluffing up.
When's the gig? 7 p.m. Thu., Varsity Theater ($12-$14, all ages). She returns to the Varsity on Friday as part of KS95's Live 95 show with Plain White T's.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
