Her love of the Cranberries, John Mayer, and Fiona Apple is easy to hear when one listens to the poignant music of singer/songwriter Anna Nalick, but it's her beloved Blind Melon that had the most impact on her career. The California native had been recording demos on a cheap cassette recorder when one of her tapes ended up in the hands of former Blind Melon members Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith. The two were now a production team and with Eric Rosse -- a producer who had worked with another Nalick fave, Tori Amos -- they re-recorded her home demos in a professional studio. Two weeks later, Columbia Records contacted Nalick with an offer and soon college was put on hold. With an all-star cast of studio musicians, the 20-year-old recorded her debut, Wreck of the Day, released in April of 2005. An expanded version of the album was released in 2006, with the Shine EP following in 2008. ~ David Jeffries