Lisa Loeb

Before the signature eyewear and "Stay," before the ascent of mid-'90s alt-folk and her role in early '00s reality television, The Purple Tape introduced Lisa Loeb's solo career. This reissue, arriving 16 years after its cassette-only release, is a set of acoustic confessionals that lets it all hang out -- stretching metaphors about "Dorothy and her dog" and spinning the emotionally fraught tales that defined her career. The second disc is of most interest to fans, and includes a number of previously unheard live-in-studio numbers and a long interview.