CD Reviews: Juno compilation ‘eh’ okay
Juno Awards 09
2009 Juno Nominees
Warner Music Canada
3/5 stars
It’s Juno time again music fans, time for us all to sit back and celebrate our Canadian music scenes.
This 18-track disc includes the talents of artists like Celine Dion, Simple Plan, Serena Ryder, Michael Buble and Divine Brown.
Love her or hate her Celine Dion has an incredible set of pipes and “Taking Chances” is a great example. Following in Dion’s incredible pipes footsteps is the gutsy broad with the voice to match: Serena Ryder with “Little Bit of Red.” Last year’s winner for best new artist, Ryder is up for album of the year this time around.
Also up for album of the year (brace yourself Effie) is k.d Lang, yes ladies and gentlemen, she’s back. Did anyone know? Why didn’t Cindy Crawford tell us?
Last year’s Juno sweetheart, Calgary’s own Feist, was left off the CD which kind of sucks ass, the girl is a great musician.
Take a listen, this one’s a gooder.
To hear a sample click here.
— Kelsey Hipkin
Bell Orchestre
As Seen Through The Windows
Arts & Crafts Productions
4/5 stars
Instrumental popular music has been sorely lacking in the Canadian music landscape recently but it seems to be slowly emerging. Arcade Fire may be the most successful orchestral pop music band out there, but Calgary’s own Woodpigeon isn’t doing too bad either. With two members of Arcade Fire on-board, Bell Orchestre’s latest album, As Seen Through The Windows, it kind of makes sense to compare the two.
What Bell Orchestre excels at is taking the listener on a journey with each and every one of their tracks. With no lyrics to distract or tell you what to think, the journey is personal, influenced by your own mindset at the time and what’s going on around you. It becomes the perfect escape while stuck in traffic or surrounded by a busy work environment. At 10 tracks it’s a tight, consistent album that takes your hand and lifts you up out of uncertain times.
To hear a sample track click here.
— Selina Renfrow
Chris Cornell
Scream
Mosley Music/Interscope Recorder
2/5 stars
Chris, I have always been one of your enthusiastic and encouraging fans. In your career you have never been afraid of taking artistic and creative risks. When your potentially blasphemous “Jesus Christ Pose” was released as a single, I applauded you. When you decided to leave Soundgarden, I winced, but I had your back. Even when you teamed up with the remnants of Rage Against the Machine to form supergroup Audioslave, I bought the album. Then your solo work; the risk you took in covering Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” I thought you were a genius. What happened this time?
Your 2009 Scream scares me. With one of the best set of pipes in the rock world you go to Timbaland for help? That is like Shaq teaching Sidney Crosby to dunk. Chris, stick with what you are good at. Your single “Pick it up” makes me want to put it down. What are you gonna do next? Paint girls in gold and get 50 Cent to rap your bridges? I appreciate the risk you have taken, but you have alienated your fans that have kept you relevant all these years.
To hear a sample click here.
— Jordan Nakaska
Kelly Clarkson
All I Ever Wanted
19 Recordings Limited
4/5 stars
Kelly Clarkson seems to start every CD off the same way, the boy-bashing song to pump you and your girlfriends up while driving in the car. Which, if you ask me, is not a bad thing. But if you listen to her first single, she is going back to the boy that dissed her, but I guess haven’t we all. Confusing yes, but the rest of the album stays true to Clarkson’s style. With it’s upbeat, feet bobbing hits you get a great mixture on Clarkson’s fourth album, All I Ever Wanted. She slows it down with a couple soft ballads where you can really see why she was the first American Idol winner. Overall, Clarkson pulls off another hit — a great array of different sounds and beats. Got to love the boy-bashing goodness she has to offer.
To hear a sample click here.
— Kelsey Chadwick
Howie Beck
How To Fall Down In Public
Arts and Crafts
4/5 stars
I’m a little wary of listening to random CDs to review these days, especially after I was assigned what looked like a folksy CD and had to listen to 12 tracks of death metal. However, with How To Fall Down In Public I was pleasantly surprised.
Beck’s folksy sound and guitar riffs on tracks like “ Fin” and “Save Me” have a vintage, almost ’70s feel to them, reminiscent of the days of free love while “Beside This Love” makes one think of a smoky ‘30s piano bar, with Beck tickling the ivories in a tuxedo and “Watch Out For The Fuzz” is just plain fun to listen to.
It’s that range of songs and Beck’s voice that make for easy listening. This is the kind of album you can listen to all day despite the fact there are only nine tracks.
To hear a sample click here.
— Kelsey Hipkin
Trouble Andrew
Trouble Andrew
Virgin Records
4/5 stars
As intergalactic techno space pirates cruise through the depths of a psychedelic alternate final frontier battling alien saucers, Trouble Andrew is the album that they pop into their disc drives.
With Hal 9000 like vocals and great new-age backing instrumentals, it is easy to listen to the 10 energetic danceable space-age beats. However, my favourite track is the up-tempo “Chase Money,” which boasts tight lyrics and crazy sound effects. It would not be a stretch to say that Trouble Andrew has an old school Elvis Costello feel which “pumps you up” for the songs. With all retro music puns aside, some of the beats sound alike, but the songs just have to be heard to appreciate the music. If alternate techno is your cup of tea, pick up a copy of Trouble Andrew. This album makes me want to play Alien Invaders and that is a good thing.
To hear a sample click here.
— Kevin Rushworth
