In a style she describes as “coffee-shop blues,” Paula calls “Pretty Pretend” the monument in marking a life change. Dressed in a white sweater and a red gingham skirt with her auburn hair secured back loosely, Paula says she’s starting a second phase in life. Produced by Baron Stout and featuring Paula’s boyfriend, Jason Vivone, on guitar and harmony vocals, along with other accompanying musicians, four of the 10 tracks on “Pretty Pretend” showcase Paula’s acoustic music. “Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t being listened to,” she says of the album’s title. “I wasn’t gonna be the pretty face that just tried to get along with everybody and kind of live my life under everybody else’s rules. I wasn’t going to pretend anymore. It was time for a change and no more living in a bubble.” Among her favorites on her new album is “Bomb Pop Smile,” a “folky, little story song about going to the park and seeing the ice cream man coming up and remembering that happen to you as a kid,” Paula says. “It’s real sweet.” Paula counts American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley among her influences, as well as Patti Smith and Lucinda Williams. “I want my music all over the world, and with the Internet, that’s very possible now,” Paula says. “I want them to be happy that it’s a local, hometown girl whose dreams are coming true, but she’s down-to-earth. I want my music to stick in their head.” Adrianne DeWeese - Special to The Examiner