Tails

For her first major-label album, singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb expanded on the massive success of her ubiquitous hit, “Stay (I Missed You).” As the first unsigned artist to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Loeb turned “Stay” into the linchpin of the culture-shifting soundtrack for Ben Stiller’s 1994 film, Reality Bites. But Tails, which arrived after a deeply competitive bidding war for the musician, is far more than the standout track, as distorted guitars, lush orchestrations and acoustic arrangements augment Loeb’s folk-rock ambitions into a ’90s generational touchstone. Co-produced with Juan Patino, Loeb bolstered the production of her previous releases, effortlessly shifting from the spacious driving rock of “Taffy” to the tender minimalism of “Sandalwood.