Missy Higgins @ Borders. New York City.

As you may know, Ben Folds is currently on tour. Opening for him is Missy Higgins, a singer/songwriter from Australia whom I discovered at a Howie Day show in '05 and whom I am also in love with. However, since the Ben Folds show [held later that night] was over 40 bucks, I opted to just attend the free in-store at the Park Avenue Borders yesterday afternoon.

Missy Higgins first appeared in the U.S. about three years ago with her album "The Sound of White", the album I became obsessed with in the later part of that year because of its bittersweet lyrics and melodies that sounded as if they came from the heavens. They were songs that I, as a broken-hearted girl, could relate to. Fast forward three years and Higgins is still at it. Her newest album, "On a Clear Night" is pretty much the same deal.

This Borders gig was meshed with a reading by author Harlan Coban, who mentioned Missy Higgins in his latest novel. Due to Coban's reading and storytelling, Higgins only had time for four songs. "Sugarcane", "Steer", "Going North", and "Where I Stood", my personal fave, but this is where my complaint lies. These are all fresh songs. Not one song from that 2005 album was performed. In fact, during a question/answer session between Higgins and Coban, she put down a few of those older pieces, telling us that they were written when she was a teen and she felt most lyrics were "corny". I sighed and muttered to myself in a slight depression, but still managed to enjoy what was put in front of me. The truth is, it's impossible not to be completely stricken by the music of Missy Higgins, no matter what she sings of. Her charm and down-to-earth qualities also make it difficult not to love her. When answering Coban's questions, she gave us very personal accounts, such as when she wrote "Where I Stood" while lying in bed at 4 in the morning and that an older song, "All for Believing" was written last minute for a high school music class. She looked at us, smiling, as if we were her best girlfriends. In the middle of playing one song, a Borders employee made an announcement over the loudspeaker and Higgins simply giggled, stopped for a moment and said, "I'll let her finish". And she did.

So please [and never before have I been more passionate about any artist in this blog] check Missy Higgins out for yourself. I honestly believe that she appeals to fans of all genres. You'll thank me later.
http://www.myspace.com/missyhiggins

Here's a video clip of "Steer" for your viewing/listening pleasure: