About six months ago, Starbucks Coffeeshops began giving away free iTunes song downloads with every cup of coffee each morning. And one particular morning, I happened upon a coupon for a new singer/songwriter named Sara Bareilles’ single “Love Song.” So I hopped online and checked it out.

What I found was the first of many instantly likeable tracks from her album Little Voice, and apparently I wasn’t the only one. Bareilles shot to the #1 spot on iTunes, something that unknown artists seldom accomplish. And her more-than-a-one-hit-wonder major label debut has helped sustain her for the last few months in iTunes’ top four singles.

Little Voice opens with “Love Song,” a piano-driven powerpop masterpiece in which the songstress laments the fact that her muse is demanding a song written for him in order to stay in the relationship. Overall, it’s about a brand new relationship, and the quirks and pitfalls that come with clumsy feeling of love.

Moving down the track listing, “Vegas” chronicles Sara’s indecisiveness when it came to making a career move in the musical direction. She almost sounds a bit Fiona Apple-esque when her voice conveys the tension that exists in her situation.

Probably the most aurally-rewarding track on the record is “Between the Lines.” It’s a song dealing with the typical subject matter of unfaithfulness. Bareilles sings with precision, while also allowing her voice and meter to flutter in free time at points. And if you can stop getting distracted by the subtle beauty of her voice long enough to listen to the actual lyrics, make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby. Enough said.