Album Review: Fell out of Oz by Christa Couture

Album Name: Fell out of Oz
Artist: Christa Couture
Year/Label: 2006 / Maximum Music/Universal Canada

[Buy at Amazon Canada]

Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

A month or so ago, I reviewed a compilation CD called Grrls with Guitars. Christa Couture’s song, “Day 4” was a stand out to me.

Gladly that song was not a fluke. This is a beautiful record. Christa Couture has a soft voice, almost whispery at times. You can play this as background music but it will probably draw you in as well.

“Sundries like Mondays” has a really cool lo-hi effect. Christa’s voice is right up front in the mix and has a touch of distortion, which makes it sound almost old tyme.

“For Miette (circuitry)” has her sounding a little like Ani DiFranco.

These songs are all so well written and interesting. This is one record I want to just put on repeat for days.

Posted on March 9, 2006

Comments:

Rating: 5 Stars
Comment: I agree. This is an awesome cd. Christa Couture sings so truly from her heart…you can feel it in every song. And I love the variety in the cd and the real life messages written with such creative edge and sung with such rich, personal expression. Christa deserves to be listened to with an fully open heart and mind.
name: Corinne Thorsell on Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Track Listing
1. Jennifer Grey
2. Day 4
3. I Will
4. Scared, Too
5. Weight of the Wait
6. For Miette (circuitry)
7. Fell Out of Oz
8. The Next Bed
9. Sundries Like Mondays
10. London First
11. Habitual

[Christa Couture Official Site]

Concert: Charlotte Martin in Minneapolis

I’ve finally seen Charlotte Martin live!
charmarpur_03.jpg

It’s been years in the making, but I finally got to see Charlotte. I was introduced to Char’s music through Terami Hirsch. Through a series of odd events, I have managed to miss her every time she’s played here. But not this time! She was incredible. Just fabulous.

Read the review and see some more photos. (Isn’t she gorgeous?)

Concerts: Charlotte Martin in Minneapolis

Artist: Charlotte Martin

Date: March 8, 2006

Opening Act: Jeff D. Johnson

Venue: Varsity Theater

City: Minneapolis, MN

Review by [Amy Lotsberg] Producer of Collected Sounds

Opener Jeff Johnson has potential. He has a very nice voice but a problem with rhythm. He had pre-programmed drums and even they were off-beat.

He is a good guitar player but perhaps needs some practice. Meaning that he tried to fit too many notes into too short of measures and when he didn’t get them all in, he just played them anyway, changing the rhythm.

But he was charming and had a good stage presence. With practice I’m sure he’ll be great.

He did have a fan club. There was a table of boys around the age of 13 listening very intently, singing along and even calling friends on cell phones so they could listen. Then when Jeff was done, they left. Their loss!

Let me first let you know what a big deal this was for me. I first heard of Charlotte Martin years ago when another artist, and friend Terami Hirsch, suggested I check her out (the two are friends). I did and I liked her very much. Since then Charlotte has come to Minneapolis on several occasions and none of them worked out for me.

The first time, she was playing the same night I had a house concert. So I could not go.

Try #2: I waited to buy tickets at the venue to avoid Ticketbastard charges. Well, the show sold out days before the date of the show.

Try #3: Charlotte gave me the name of someone to contact who would get me on the list and let me know the next show’s date. He never got back to me. I didn’t find out the date of the show until it had passed.

Try #4: Charlotte was playing here with some girl rocker showcase thing for a make-up company. Also in the line up was Emm Gryner among others. Through Emm’s people I got tickets in exchange for handing out Emm CDs. So I went to the show thinking this is it! But as I got into the theater Charlotte was on stage singing her last note. “Thank you and good night!”

So as you can imagine, I was cautiously excited about this performance, or at least my attendance at it. I kept thinking something would happen before she came on stage, either I’ll get in a car accident on the way there, or something else will happen. It wasn’t until she came on the stage and began performing that I realized my goal of seeing her live was actually was coming to fruition. It was worth the wait.

Charlotte began at 9pm. My first thought was that this was a completely different show than I was expecting. I had just seen the DVD so I knew that she was experimenting with a loop station sort of thing, but I didn’t know she’d be using it for all her songs and with so many “extras”. This was really a nice surprise.

On “Under the Gravel Skies” she used a wacky voice distorter (I think someone called it a “virus”). Very cool. I love that song. That was one of the highlights.

She began to play “In Parenthesis” with some major changes and said, “Do you remember this one? Well, she’s gotten a little testosterone since you heard her last.” I’ll say.

Before playing “I’m Normal” she talked about all the changes that have occurred since she was here last: she got married, got another dog, bought a house, left RCA, started eating meat again and got her bangs cut among other things. She also informed us that she’s stalking Joaquin Phoenix. Must have seen “Walk the Line”, huh?

It was a fabulous show. Charlotte is an engaging performer. Her voice is exceptional (I have no idea how she hits some of those notes), the songs, of course are beautiful, she has a great stage presence (very goofy) and I am so happy that I can finally say I’ve seen Charlotte Martin perform live.

I chatted with her after the show for a moment as well and she was warm, friendly and kind just like I thought she’d be.









[Charlotte Martin Official Site]

Concert Review: Charlotte Martin, Minneapolis 3/2006

Artist: Charlotte Martin
Date: March 8, 2006
Opening Act: Jeff D. Johnson
Venue: Varsity Theater
City: Minneapolis, MN

Review by [Amy Lotsberg] Producer of Collected Sounds

Let me first let you know what a big deal this was for me. I first heard of Charlotte Martin years ago when another artist, and friend Terami Hirsch, suggested I check her out (the two are friends). I did and I liked her very much. Since then Charlotte has come to Minneapolis on several occasions and none of them worked out for me.

The first time, she was playing the same night I had a house concert. So I could not go.

Try #2: I waited to buy tickets at the venue to avoid Ticketbastard charges. Well, the show sold out days before the date of the show.

Try #3: Charlotte gave me the name of someone to contact who would get me on the list and let me know the next show’s date. He never got back to me. I didn’t find out the
date of the show until it had passed.

Try #4: Charlotte was playing here with some girl rocker showcase thing for a make-up company. Also in the line up was Emm Gryner among others. Through Emm’s people I got tickets in exchange for handing out Emm CDs.
So I went to the show thinking this is it! But as I got into the theater Charlotte was on stage singing her last note. “Thank you and good night!”

So as you can imagine, I was cautiously excited about this performance, or at least my attendance at it. I kept thinking something would happen before she came on stage, either I’ll get in a car accident on the way there, or something else will happen. It wasn’t until she came on the stage and began performing that I realized my goal of seeing her live was actually was coming to fruition.
It was worth the wait.

Opener Jeff Johnson has potential. He has a very nice voice but a problem with rhythm. He had pre-programmed drums and even they were off-beat.

He is a good guitar player but perhaps needs some practice. Meaning that he tried to fit too many notes into too short of measures and when he didn’t get them all in, he just played them anyway, changing the rhythm.

But he was charming and had a good stage presence. With practice I’m sure he’ll be great.

He did have a fan club. There was a table of boys around the age of 13 listening very intently, singing along and even calling friends on cell phones so they could listen. Then when Jeff was done, they left. Their loss!

Charlotte began at 9pm. My first thought was that this was a completely different show than I was expecting. I had just seen the DVD so I knew that she was experimenting with a loop station sort of thing, but I didn’t know she’d be using it for all her songs and with so many “extras”. This was really a nice surprise.

On “Under the Gravel Skies” she used a wacky voice distorter (I think someone called it a “virus”). Very cool. I love that song. That was one of the highlights.

She began to play “In Parenthesis” with some major changes and said, “Do you remember this one? Well, she’s gotten a little testosterone since you heard her last.”
I’ll say.

Before playing “I’m Normal” she talked about all the changes that have occurred since she was here last: she got married, got another dog, bought a house, left RCA, started eating meat again and got her bangs cut among other things. She also informed us that she’s stalking Joaquin Phoenix. Must have seen “Walk the Line”, huh?

It was a fabulous show. Charlotte is an engaging performer. Her voice is exceptional (I have no idea how she hits some of those notes), the songs, of course are beautiful, she has a great stage presence (very goofy) and I am so happy that I can finally say I’ve seen Charlotte Martin perform live.

I chatted with her after the show for a moment as well and she was warm, friendly and kind just like I thought she’d be.


Photos: I didn’t post large ones because I don’t want anyone stealing them. If you want one
Contact me and we’ll see if we can work something out. You may not hyperlink to them.

[Charlotte Martin Official Site]

Album Review: Les Dangerueses by Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor

Album Name: Les Dangerueses
Artist: Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor
Year/Label: 2006 / Independent

[Buy at Amazon]

Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell

Lenni Jabour is a chanteuse based in Canada and her new album gives a fresh spin on the cabaret formula.

“Les Fleurs Mecontentes” is a dreamy meander of a song, Jabour’s sweet vocal and the sing along chorus making it hard to resist.

“A Little Sad” is smoky and heartbroken, but catchy and fun with it.

The charming “La Fille avec les Cheveux Longes” shows Jabour’s talent well. Her use of a glockenspiel adds a nicely anachronistic touch.

The electronic ” Side Streets and Parked Cars” broadens the palette and adds a sense of modernity to the sound. This album is a lovely thing.

Posted on March 6, 2006

Track Listing
1. Les Fleurs Mecontentes
2. A Little sad
3. Rosa dances in her kitchen
4. Wolfgang
5. La Fille Avec les Cheveux Longes
6. Forever as though it’s not here
7. Side Streets and parked Cars
8. The bathtub
9. Jean-Michel
10. J’ecris son nom Encore(the empty Theatre)
11. The sweetness in you
12. Oh Camille
13. St.Henri

[Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor Official Site]

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Album Review: A Purple Kind of Blue by Meredith Blis

Album Name: A Purple Kind of Blue
Artist: Meredith Blis
Year/Label: 2006 / Independent

Buy the CD

Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell

Meredith Blis is a talented singer and pianist and this is her debut. She has an appealingly bluesy slant to her music.

“Smile my Blues Away” has some fun lyrics and a cool melody.

“I’d be a witch of Eastwick
With long platinum hair
Cast any spell
With just a wink and a stare”

she sings.

“Mighty Aphrodite” is a sweet song that asks the goddess of love for advice.

“Mermaid Girl” is transcendently beautiful with its longing to escape the mundane world. Blis plays her piano wonderfully and the cello compliments it well.

“Breakdown” is a lovely song, Blis singing sweetly to a fluid melody. The use of strings is well thought out.

It’s a good debut.

Posted on March 6, 2006

Track Listing
Listen to track samples
1. A Purple Kind of Blue
2. Smile My Blues Away
3. Mighty Aphrodite
4. The O Song
5. Such A Lovely Girl
6. Mermaid Girl
7. 2 Way St.
8. Breakdown
9. Legacy
10. Have Done
11. Fairy Dust
12. Untitled Love Song

[Meredith Blis Official Site]

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