Larisa Bryski

Larisa Bryski has one of those big, swinging-for-the-bleacher-seats voices. But aesthetically and lyrically, she seems firmly rooted in late-1970s classic rock, somewhere between Pat Benatar and Stevie Nicks—which is not a bad thing; it’s just a matter of taste. Bryski wrote (or co-wrote) everything here, except for “Let It Rain,” a power ballad by Atlanta singer-songwriter Kristen Hall by way of Canadian singer Amanda Marshall. The centerpiece here is “Hold On,” a Bic-lighter-waving power ballad co-written with guitarist Willy Seltzer, who is a big part of Bryski’s sound. Violet is the kind of record that might have gotten A&R men reaching for their checkbooks in 1980. Still, one can’t help but wonder what Bryski would sound like with slightly more-modern-sounding production.