Chantal Kreviazuk : Colour Moving and Still (2000)

I know what you are thinking : I've had it up to here with female rock singer songwriters. There do seem to be a whole lot out there (Lillith style). In fact it brings up an interesting question. Why do female rock singers generally go solo and male rock singers front a band? Write your answer on the back of a self addressed envelope and mail it to...

Anyway, we are here to discuss one release that sets a new standard for the genre and is much grander and beautiful than almost any CD out there. Colour Moving and Still is the second album that delivers the silky vocals of Chantal Kreviazuk. Simply explained, her album sounds like what a Tori Amos album would sound like if it had arrangements and Tori did not take so much smack when she was a kid. Chantel delivers perfect vocals and piano that are carefully delivered but in no way calculated : it's raw emotion but not out of control. On slower numbers this allows for amazing depth of song character, and coupled with the beautiful sounds of engineer Rick Will (such a crazy bastard : I once saw Rick get so into a mix that he cut his head open, head butting the console), all engrossing tunes like the amazing 'Until We Die' take you another place through sheer strong personality.

Songwriting is Chantal's forte though, with great chordal progressions and amazingly catchy lyrics. Producer Jay Joyce takes her basic vocal and piano songs, and turns them into swirling anthems of regret and angst. Not that everything is dark : there are some lighter fun song treats to balance out the set. It is a great pity that more people have not heard of this amazing artist and I cannot more highly recommend purchasing this album immediately.

Tom Blaxland