Good Canadian music – Jenn Grant

Last Fall, Jenn Grant quietly released (well quietly to me anyway, as I only heard about it after it was released) her fourth album, The Beautiful Wild, just a little over a year and a half after her terrific up-tempo pop record Honeymoon Punch. The latter was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize (Canada’s Mercury Prize), and no doubt will be nominated again for it come this June. The album was also nominated for a Juno, in the Adult Alternative Album of the Year category, but lost to Feist’s Metals (tough competition!).

Check out her latest music video from The Beautiful Wild:

Quite a nice looking video for a nice song. I have yet to hear the new album, but it sounds like it is more mellow like her earlier releases, or “sophisticated sounding” and “some of the textures are softer” as she elaborates in the EPK for the album:

Listen to “In The Belly Of A Dragon“:

Check her out on tour:

02.08.13 – AMES, IA: The Maintenance Shop
02.09.13 – INDIANAPOLIS, IN: The Irving Theater
02.10.13 – ANN ARBOR, MI: The Ark
02.12.13 – GRAND RAPIDS, MI: The Pyramid Scheme
02.13.13 – LOUISVILLE, KY: Uncle Slayton’s
02/14/13 – BARNESVILLE, OH: Albert S George Youth Center
03/20/13 – CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI: Hunter’s Ale House
03/21/13 – SAINT JOHN, NB: Sanctuary Theatre
03/24/13 – ST JOHN’S, NL: The Rock House
03/26/13 – HALIFAX, NS: The Seahorse Tavern

And check out plenty more video and audio from her at Six Shooter Records‘ YouTube channel. Her official site, and on Twitter.

Laura Mvula, guest blog post from Katie at Lady Indie (ladyindie.com)

What follows is a guest post from Katie at Lady Indie! Be sure to check her blog out at ladyindie.com. She features plenty of great female artists, many of which being indie, however many great up and coming artists along with well-known ones!

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There’s just something about Laura Mvula. I can’t stop listening to this singer from the UK who is being compared to artists like ‘Adele’. Her words are reaching me quite easily because with a voice as soulful as hers, it’s that easy to get lost in the story. The first single off her new EP ‘She’ and the track “Like the Dew” were produced with many overlapping vocals; a little bit ‘Imogen Heap’, yet with a Nina Simone-esque voice ripping through them.

More info:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Mvula/361658633901174
http://www.lauramvula.com
Buy the “She” EP on itunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/she-ep/id573158873

Watch the video for ‘She’ which was filmed in South Africa.

Listen to ‘Like the Dew’

Laura Mvula – Like The Morning Dew by lauramvula

Emeli Sandé Montreal concert review (November 24, 2012)

And to think, I almost did not attend this show!

Emeli Sandé performing in Montreal November 24, 2012. Photo Bernard Brault, La Presse

This was her first time in our fair city. She was scheduled to play the Montreal International Jazz Festival this past summer, but it was cancelled for an unknown reason. I suspect she had engagements back at home in the United Kingdom, as she was booked to play Montreal in-between scheduled performances, all in the U.K.

Regardless, she made it to Montreal now, and she put on quite the show to a full Metropolis.

She performed, along with her backing musicians, almost every song from her debut Our Version of Events, along with the iTunes bonus track, “Tiger”. Her backing band included an acoustic guitar/bass player, keyboardist and percussionist, they very much deserve credit as well for a great job. She also performed “Wonder”, which is a Naughty Boy song featuring her on vocals. Naught Boy was the main collaborator on her album.

Two covers included Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”, who she supported on select dates of their Mylo Xyloto tour, and Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” (yes, it did the original justice! Nina would have been proud!). Nina Simone is her biggest musical influence.

Emeli’s voice is phenomenal. I was quite blown away! Her album is great, there is no doubt, but to see her live is to realise just how talented a singer she really is.

Her love rendition of “My Kind of Love” had her getting the audience participating, as with the Coldplay cover (humming the guitar riff! As she does not play guitar). And the former brought the house down (figuratively of course), with an extra lengthy applause at the end. I was standing relatively near the front, so I am not sure if it was a standing ovation, but if not, it would have been deserved.

Her main set ended with “Next to Me”, presently one of my favourites from her, and it delivered live as well!

Her encore consisted of “Breaking the Law” and a very emotional “Read all About It (Pt. III)”.

The show as a whole was sensational. Her stage banter was perfect, introducing songs just right. “Clown” being about how no matter success you have, how far you have come, there will always be people unfortunately people finding joy in your pain, but at least you are trying. And before “Wonder”, she mentioned how she feels everyone is wonderful, and if you are feeling wonderful to put your W’s in the air (hands in the form of the letter).

The show was moving, positive and uplifting all at the same time.

I was too far away for decent pictures, so instead here is a couple of videos of her live.

“My Kind Of Love” Live at iTunes Festival 2012 (September 5, 2012):

Someone’s video of “Next to Me” at The Sugar Club in Dublin, Ireland December 13, 2011:

And a VEVO version of Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall:

M for Montreal free showcase November 15 pictures and words

M for Montreal (M Pour Montreal in French) is yet another Montreal music festival. Similar to Pop Montreal, as it features plenty of good up and coming acts as well as ones more well-known at many venues over several days.

I managed to catch the free showcase at Cafe Campus/Petit Campus earlier today. Basically a venue with two totally different spaces a floor apart. Petit is French for small, thus the smaller space.

What follows are a few words and pictures of what I saw and heard.

Maïa. Full name, Maïa Davies, one-fourth of the all girl country act Ladies of the Canyon!

Maïa put on a fairly mellow set, I imagine all from her new solo album, Héritage, a mix of English and French lyrics. Her voice alone makes her worth checking out (and Ladies of the Canyon, even if she is not always on vocal duties)!

Whitehorse, from Hamilton. Ontario.

Next up, Whitehorse. From what I recall they were more or less indie rock/rock, but with quite a set-up for a duo. They employed plenty of looping, as well as playing their own percussion (bass drum, floor tom, tambourine and perhaps more hand percussion), and swapping instruments, and both singing. Definitely ones to watch! (Just visited their website, they are made up of husband and wife duo Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet! That is to say, on their own they have successful careers in music already!) Check out a CBC Music performance:

Kandle, from Montreal.

Kandle is very much lo-fi/retro. Even looks wise! She kind of looks like and even sounds a little like Nancy Sinatra as my friend put it. Interesting. I would have to see her again for sure!

Jacquie Neville of The Balconies, Ottawa ex-pats, now based in Toronto.

The Balconies are very much about rocking out! Lead singer and guitarist Jacquie Neville reminds me of Juliette Lewis performing! Genre-wise I would say alt-rock. Again, I would have to see them again. My friend did not care for them, but I do think their first single, “Kill Count” is interesting, they performed it last. Judge for yourself:

Ain’t no Love performed next (I did not get a good picture), they are a hip hop trio consisting of two main male rappers and a female rapper/singer. I was not too into them, as their beats were too bass thump heavy. I like bass heavy beats, but in this case I did not think they worked too well. And the rapping did not appeal to me. The female songstress has a good voice though, she could easily be doing her thing solo. It seems they are based out of Montreal and Toronto from their website bio.

Honheehonhee donning some animal themed hats!

Lastly, Honheehonhee, out of Montreal are an up-tempo indie-rock party style as one can guess from the picture! They have a lot going on, and some interesting elements here and there, like the synth in one song I liked, but for the most part not really my style.

As I mentioned on Twitter,

At @MforMontreal free showcase at Cafe Campus cool so far, and happens again tomorrow, same time, same place! Pics and words later!

— I Yearn Man (@tmmblog) November 15, 2012

another free showcase happens later today, Friday early afternoon. Check out the acts performing here, and the rest of the M for Montreal schedule. The festival finishes up on Saturday. I would recommend seeing Montreal post-punk/rocknrollers Young Lungs Saturday if you have the chance. I caught them at Pop Montreal, and they put on a pretty intense set!

(Too lazy to proofread, hopefully error free!)

KT Tunstall – Tiger Suit review

With Tiger Suit, KT Tunstall’s third album, a better picture is painted of her overall style. Early on, with “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”, I would have thought of her as more alternative rock/pop, now I’d lean towards the adult alternative rock/pop genre. This being a good thing, as she is showing off her maturity as an artist, all the while still producing songs that are catchy and fun (“Push That Knot Away”, “Fade Like a Shadow”, and “Come On, Get In”, the latter kazoo and all!) and ones that fit both descriptions (“Difficult”).

“(Still a) Weirdo” is an excellent song, definitely worthy as a single, as it is the lead single in the United Kingdom. With the overall quality of KT’s work, it was hard to imagine not being impressed once again. The album shines once again in having its own distinct feel. “Madame Trudeaux” fits this description perfectly, as does the first track, “Uummannaq Song”.

I could go on, going track by track, but I feel that would be futile, as it is an album that has to be heard. Less time reading the review, more time listening to the music!