Flavors of Entaglement by Alanis Morissette

Alanis had slipped to the back burner for me over the past few releases with nothing that really grabbed my attention and made me want to listent to her songs over and over again. It's not that I disliked her music over the past few years it's just that time being such a limited commodity I had other music that I spent my time listening to and enjoying. I knew that she had a new CD close to being released but I hadn't gone looking for details quite yet. I came across the 1st single Undeneath in the form of a video on Yahoo and decided that it was worth checking into to see if there were anymore samples out there that I could listen to. I was able to find Citizen of the Planet and Straitjacket and after hearing those I was pretty much sold on the music. The one thing that connected each of the songs was music that created a strong foundation and lyrics that brought to mind the Alanis I knew back when I first picked up her Jagged Little Pill CD. I particularly enjoyed Straitjacket with its very sharp and pointed observations about relationships and the problems that are inherent in any human interaction. Some were worried that Guy Sigsworth's techno influences would do damage to the rock edged Alanis' visions but that is hardly the case. The songs have a definite techno flavor to them but Alanis is still the center and the focus of each song. Her voice and her lyrics are what  you listen to each song for and the beats only add to that attraction.

If you had been put off by what you had heard over the past few years from Alanis you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Flavors of Entaglement in your chosen format and get reaquainted with someone who continues to grow and change along with the rest of us. There has been a 4 year gap since her last studio release but as far as I'm concerned the time was well spent getting back in touch with the basics of what made Jagged Little Pill such a success. No one wanted to hear Jagged Little Pill II but they did want to see the sensibilities that made that CD resonate with so many fans and with her new CD she has stepped up to the plate and delivered once again. Highly recommended.  

Visit Alanis' website

Pillar of Stone by Joelle

 Every once in awhile a real gem of a CD shows up in my Cutting Edge Voices PO Box and my hat is off to Luck Media and Marketing for putting this CD into my hands. Joelle is based out ofCalgary Canada and will be exporting this CD to theU.S. early in 2007 and after listening to it constantly since it showed up a few days I'd have to give it a big thumbs up. This may be Joelle's break through release but with a producer like Chris Omartian (son of Michael Omartian) behind her the CD has a feel to it of a performer who is already hitting her stride and not afraid to let loose with everything she has. Joelle offers us up a power/pop rock mix that grabs hold of you from Tongue Tied which opens the disc right on through So Alive which closes out this 10 song CD. There are some tasty guitar licks throughout the disc provided by Tommy “Slash” Collier which only serves to emphasize the fact that Joelle’s voice is more than capable of holding her own against the strong instrumentation that accompanies her on this project. A good example of this is the song Your Love is (Deafening) which is one of my personal favorites on this disc.  The song pounds out a steady drum beat as the lead guitar wails in around this strong beat Joelle’s voice acts as the glue that pulls it altogether into a memorable song that will probably have you on your feet before it is over.   

Lest you think that this CD is nothing but power chords and heavy beats there are songs like So Alive or Natural Beauty which dials back the heavy beats and the electric guitars and allows Joelle to showcase her ability to sing a more delicate ballad type of a song. It also allows the listener the chance to see that her voice is just as meaningful and expressive while singing these ballads as it is when she is going head to head with the more in your face elements of some of the other songs found on this CD. So Alive even features some keyboard work from Chris’ father Michael Omartian who some of you may remember from a string of well received albums from the 70’s including White Horse and Adam Again and it is this delicate keyboard work that allows Joelle’s voice to be the spotlight of the song. Listening to the lyrics I also detect some not so subtle messages being conveyed to Joelle’s listeners about the role that women occupy in a lot of modern  relationships and how that is not going to be the case anymore. Check out In Your Dreams which moves back and forth between what is the norm and what is really being felt and with lyrics like “You prima donna, I’m not your mama, do your own damn dirty laundry” you start to get the picture of what this title really means. The same theme is pounded out again and again in songs like Pillar of Stone and All 4 Me that of finding your inner strength, your individuality in face of pressures to compromise what you believe and the confidence to be yourself above all else. 

The one song that seems out of place on this CD is the song God Forgive Me which delves into social consciousness, spirituality and how we as individuals should be more aware of our surroundings and on the look out for ways to help those less fortunate than ourselves. That is not to say that this is not a good song or that the lyrics are not relevant to those who hear them but it just seemed a little odd sitting there among all the other ballads and edgy pop/rock tunes that comprise this CD. It definitely has some great hooks with the lead guitar right up front again along with a nice moving beat that pulls you into the song but maybe this one song might have been better off on a collection of music that was more pointedly aimed at this type of song. This one song is certainly not going to change my mind about the CD as a whole though. 

This is a first class production and I can see Joelle has a musical future ahead of her that looks quite bright from my vantage point. With the forthcoming release of her CD Pillar of Stone in 2007 Joelle shows a musically maturity that  was not completely realized in her previous full length CD Look At Me Now or her EP Sugar. Her own growth as an artist and the addition of Chris Omartian to the production mix were just the final two ingredients to take Joelle’s music to the next level. I would definitely recommend that you get out there and get yourself a copy of this CD when it becomes available and then keep your eye on Joelle as I think that her star is on the rise. Highly recommended!

Visit Joelle's website

Inland Sea by Rin'

This CD arrived in Cutting Edge Voices’ mailbox the other day and I was not sure what to expect. I am very familiar with the Domo label but my mental associations with the music that this label produces always drift towards new age or more specifically Kitaro’s music. If you are not familiar with Kitaro then Google the name and you’ll see what I mean when I say I was surprised to find the new CD by a Japanese female trio called Rin’ peeking out of the envelope at me.
Rin’ is not unknown in Japan but rather they are a pop sensation with 2 full length CDs available, a Christmas album and a live DVD. It just goes to show that the world is alive with music and you can still find wonderful music if you just spend some time looking for it. Another surprise were a couple of the guest vocalists that you will find on this CD once you start listening. Lisa Loeb and Leigh Nash lead singer of Sixpence None the Richer lend their distinct voices to this debut American CD with marvelous effect. Mana, Tomoca and Chie who comprise Rin’ are graduates of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and whose goal is to make Japenese music accessible to the American ear.  

On this CD you will find elements of traditional Japanese music played on traditional instruments right along side elements that would be right at home on many of the top 40  radio stations here in the U.S. Lest you think that this would be a jarring juxtaposition of styles let me assure you that it all blends together seamlessly while allowing the listener to be immersed in music that they may not be familiar with but making them feel comfortable with nevertheless. Domo records’ founder Eiichi Naito’s stated mission with Domo records is “To provide a home for both the creators and aficionados of quality music beyond the borders of categorization.”  Some stand out songs on this CD are I Never Knew What Love Meant featuring Leigh Nash on vocals and Anti Hero featuring Lisa Loeb on vocals. I was very impressed with this  CD right from the first song straight through to the end of the disc. Stop up at the Rin’ Myspace page and listen to some of the songs and then be sure to scroll down the page and check out the 3 videos that are posted there as well. Once you are done with checking out the samples I’m sure that you will be a fan of this trio of women and will be looking forward to future releases to add to your music collection. Definitely recommended.

Visit Rins'artist page at Domo or visit Rin' on Myspace

Hurts to Purr by Hurts to Purr

Lots of times I'll follow the links imbedded in e-mails I receive here at Cutting Edge about recommended vocalists and from there I'll follow links off the various sites I end up on seeing what kind of new music I might discover. I even go so far as to Google names of other artists with or without a URL just to see who's on the other end. That's how I ended up on Hurts to Purr's homepage. Going off the strength of what I heard on this group's My Space website which is 4 full length songs I'd have to say that I this CD is well worth taking a chance on. The CD has a total of 14 songs so I can't say for absolutely sure that everyone of them is a gem but 4 good songs on any given CD is a great start. Liz Pappademas who is the lead singer for this interestingly named group reminds me of a cross between Fiona Apple and Rickie Lee Jones. Maybe with the help of Brian Kehew who co-produced Fiona Apple's Extodinary Machine CD in the mixing department that  has something to do with it. Laid back feel to the music that I heard but some well thought out lyrics to stimulate the mind. Take a listen and see if you agree.  Visit Hurts to Purr on Myspace.

Bastard Daughter by Kelly Buchannan

Wandering the web in search of good music has it rewards at times and this was one of those CD's that really jumped me once I started to listen to it via the samples at the CD Baby site. First off let me simply say that this is a kick ass CD that delivers the rock n roll goods ala Liz Phair's earlier CD's. The songs cover a variety of topics with energy and cutting honesty. This is not a CD for those who want to kick back and relax while their minds float peacefully within a haze of mind numbing lyrics and melody. Kelly's music will grab you and shake you until you pay attention to what she has to say. Her guitar work is first class and shines clearly through most of the songs on this CD. For those of you who are NIN's fans be sure to stop by Kelly's website and check out her acoustic rendition of Trent Reznor's Closer. It will give you a new perspective on this classic NIN song. Her CD Baby site offers samples of each of the 12 songs from this CD and I'm sure that after you've gone through all 12 like I did you'll be forced to agree that there is very little about Bastard Daughter that you won't like.
Visit Kelly Buchannan's CD Baby website.