Uplifting, wry, observant and downright honest in her approach to life's little tricks, flips and whimsies, Cookie Baker's debut album Gala Day is at once gently arresting, mature yet playful - story time for grownups - an aural novella laden with haunting strings, barnyard percussives and a rich, raw and melancholic vocal quality aimed square at the heart. The warm melodies, cool wordsmithery and a sugar-velvet voice that Cookie pulls from thin air and wraps in her whimsical guitar 'n' piano licks create a potent faux-folk pop-cabaret sensation.