“It’s all about my experiences and the things I have gone through. I’m so bad at lying, so this album is me, being brutally authentic and honest.” That’s what singer-songwriter Christina Perri recently told the Chicago Sun-Times about her new album, Head or Heart, her second release. Unlike a lot of her peers, Perri is involved with writing all of her own songs, and she’s just as good at making emotional connections as she is at coming up with catchy melodies. Her producers and co-writers on Head or Heart include Jake Gosling, Butch Walker and Kevin Griffin, known for working with plenty of big-time stars, but all of them use their talents here in service of Perri’s personal vision.
Those efforts paid off with Head or Heart’s debut at No. 4 on the Billboard album charts and lead single “Human” being played all over the radio dial. Perri started her career by getting her first single, “Jar of Hearts,” showcased on So You Think You Can Dance when she was an unsigned artist working as a waitress (she sat in the audience to watch the dance choreographed to her song). Since then, her music has found a home in plenty of TV shows and movies, from “A Thousand Years” being featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn–Part 1 to “Arms” being part of the promotion for the documentary series Disappeared. Her brutal honesty connects with audiences no matter where they encounter it.
House of Blues, 6:30 p.m. May 16, starting at $22 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
