When “The Voice” aired last spring, I had pegged twenty-four year-old Dia Frampton to win the whole competition. With her mesmerizing arrangements of hits by R.E.M, Kanye West, and more, Frampton had perpetually won over the public, including earning top-of-the-chart downloads of some of her strongest number. Now, just six months later, she has released a studio album, Red, just in time for Christmas. Having earned positive reviews, Red has been praised for its combination of Frampton’s signature acoustic-pop, country, and just a hint of dance music to make her one of the most accessible new artists of 2011.
Today’s hot new song to hear is “Billy the Kid”, a co-written number with Mark Foster (of Foster the People) and Isom Innis, and while fans of Dia’s may be surprised to hear this track on her new album, they’re bound to love it. Frampton’s galactic number recounting the tale of a rogue hero is about as entertaining as this album gets - its swooping bell-clad chorus is completely radio-ready, and Frampton’s voice, her trump card, manages to retain its purity despite the lush, layered chorus. While Dia may have lost the Voice title to Javier Colon, her debut album is much more complex, interesting, and ultimately, marketable.
