Failer
MapleMusic/Universal
The
debut album fromthis Ottawa country/folk songstress has been out a while in Canada, but expect to hear more noise as she works on breaking south of the border. Already, Rolling Stone named her one of the 10 "next wave" artists to watch in 2003 and she appeared on Late Show With David Letterman and Last Call With Carson Daly in January. The 24-year-old artist sings pleasant enough sounding songs, but sound can be deceiving. Sweet you'll say. Nice. Easy-listening stuff. But listen closer to some of the dark lyrics. Still, gotta love "One More Song the Radio Won't Like."
Giddyup
Page/EMI
The
former Odds singer/guitarist sold this eight-song release on his web site and off the stage when he opened for comedy troupe Kids In The Hall across North America last year. A cross between early Beatles and Beck, the indie offering leads with "Take A Hit Off This," which could indeed be a hit. It features a snippet of talk from Curtis Mayfield about writing and has a very chilled groovy vibe. The psychedelic-pop continues on "Slow Motion," while the title track has a shoot-from-the-hip encouraging party vibe.
Every Song Tells a Story
Ran Bach Music/True North
Why
was it nearly called "These Arms" not "These Eyes?"
Who didn't get "No Sugar Tonight"? What have "Paperback
Writer" and "Yummy Yummy" got to do with "Taking Care
of Business"? Find out the inspiration and circumstances behind many
of The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive hits. Bachman, a hilarious
and engaging storyteller, revealed it all at this concert that was
recorded April 12, 2002, at Vancouver's East Cultural Centre for a
Canadian Cancer Society fundraising dinner. Other songs and stories
include "Undun," "American Woman," and "You Ain't
Seen Nothin' Yet."
Pain To Kill
Mercury/Universal
This
Alberta vocalist's first single is already a top 10 hit. "I Just
Wanna Be Mad" is about a woman who goes to bed mad at her husband.
"We've been married seven years now. Sometimes, it seems like
21," she sings. While it isn't sung with humor, many will chuckle -
and identify with it. On a heavier note, another comfort is the ballad
"The One You Love" a lyric trying to come to terms with a
friend's divorce and a friend's sister's death. "You wanna scream/you
wanna cry," she co-writes. Yes, sounds like Clark has killed a lot of
pain on this personal collection.Greatest Hits 1970-2002
Universal Music Canada
The
two-CD set contains 34 songs in total, recorded for three labels over the
past 32 years. All thehits you could hope to hear are included -"Your Song," "Crocodile Rock," "Daniel," and on CD Two, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" right through to the recent "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore." CD One will likely get more play, just because the John/Bernie Taupin songwriting partnership yielded timeless songs from 1969 to 1976, whose winning formula the team was still setting, not repeating.
God's Son
Ill Will/Columbia/Sony
A
historian of the streets, Nasir Jones's sixth album, the soulful God's
Son, proves few can top this young rapper. Yeah, there's the tiresome B.S.
of the Jay-Z feud still referenced on the poignant "Last Real N****
Alive," but Nas has matured. The Eminem-produced "The
Cross" is a fervent spit to menacing music and the single, "Made
You Look" is emphasized with its shotgun beat. The last track, a
retro soul piece called "Heaven," features Canadians Jully Black
and Saukrates, who produced the cut with Brassmunk's Agile.
- Karen Bliss