Heather Nova--The First Recording (EP)
(Originally released as These Walls under the name Heather Frith)
Release info:
Re-released 1997 (originally released in 1990)--Big Cat Records, P.O. Box 3074, London W11 4GY, U.K.--Abb 132SCD
Availability:
U.K. only
Ecto priority:
Essential!
Comments:
This
is a CD re-release of her first vinyl-only EP, originally titled These
Walls EP and issued under her real name, Heather Frith. A rare
collectors' item until now. I have to say I'm a bit surprised because I
really like this record. As for quality of the recording, it might not
the greatest, but it is adequate for simple one-voice, one-guitar
songs. Then again, I'm the one who always insists that over-production
is the greatest sin of her more recent releases, so don't take me too
seriously.... (afries@zip.com.au)
This is four songs (just
Heather & acoustic guitar): "These Walls," "New Love," "Further
than You," and "Flying as She Falls." "These Walls" is an extremely
catchy song, and the last two are also rather good. If you see it, it
is probably worth picking up. (cmont@rci.rutgers.edu)
Worth getting if you like Glow Stars. (woj@smoe.org)
This is very reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell--same style of music, very similar voice here. (Neile)
I enjoy listening to it myself, and don't find it so divorced from her
other recordings. It's very clearly Heather Nova, though the songs are
much folkier than her later stuff. It's not what I'd give anyone to win
them over to Heather Nova, but if you already like her and are the kind
of person that likes to listen to earlier, less mature work of artists
you like, I don't think you'll be disappointed. (neal)
There are
definite pre-echoes of her later work. If anything, it's brighter and
less moody than what she's currently doing, but thoroughly worth
listening to multiple times. I must admit I had to listen 2-3 times
before it really kicked in. It's impressive that her voice has changed
very little in 10 years. (gregdunn@indy.net)
I like it, but it certainly is very different from her later stuff. (mcurry@io.com)
I quite like it. I feel it does show glimpses of her other recordings. (Marion)
Glow Stars
Release info:
1993--Butterfly Records, licensed to Big Life (U.K.)--519 189 2
Availability:
U.K., Europe. Hard to find in the U.S.
Ecto priority:
Pretty essential
Comments:
I
find Glow Stars to be more quiet than Live From The Milky Way or Oyster
but the songs still have the same emotional intensity. I have a feeling
this one is going to be hanging out in the cd player for quite a while!
(LynnGarrett@aol.com)
The album Glow Stars is actually Heather's
first full-length album from '93. It's a collection of the demos she
used to get signed in the U.K. It is quite different from Oyster in
having a more adventurous and less polished sound. I totally love the
album and think it's a must for any Heather Nova fan.
(marks59@ix.netcom.com)
"Frontier" is definitely a brilliant,
nay, flawless song. Quite a few are on Glowstars. "My Fidelity" has
some of the strongest lyrics Heather's written. "Spirit In You" is
heartbreakingly beautiful, as is "Shell", a favourite of mine.
Glowstars is quite an achievement, starting off jokey and ending up
quite otherworldly and mysterious. "Mothertongue" is brilliant
spiteful, and "Shaking The Dolls" is deliciously chaotic. However
"Frontier" stands out as being the most dreamy, layered and ethereal
piece she's done. (afinney@ozonline.com.au)
In the "Oh Wow How
Did I Miss This One" category, I really like Heather Nova's Glow Stars
cd--and I'm glad I got this before I got Siren or I may have said that
I had enough Heather Nova. I really like the intense imagery in songs
like "Shell", and "Spirit in You". "Ear to the Ground", and "Glowstars"
are nice too. Glowstars restored my faith in Heather.
(rholmes@cs.stanford.edu)
Blow
Release info:
1993--owned by Big Cat, licensed to Butterfly/Big Life Records (U.K.)--BFLCD8
Availability:
Good indie stores, and a few chain stores in the U.S.
Ecto priority:
Essential!
Group members:
david eyers--guitar
maz de castelaine--cello
cocoa solid --bass
richard thair--drums
Comments:
Please
note there are two different versions of this disc, a 6-song version
and a less-common 9-song version. The consensus is that the 9-song
version is better if you can find it.
The first time I listened to BlowI was blown away :) --really impressive, to say the least. (Marion)
For
my money it's better than Oyster which I thought suffered somewhat from
middle-of-the-road, corporate type of production. Blow is more rough,
intense and interesting. A Desert Island Disc for me. I'd have to have
some Heather, and what could be better than Blow? (afries@zip.com.au)
Blow
and Live From The Milky Way are in my opinion far and away the
definitive Heather. The tracks "Mothertongue" and "Frontier" on Blow
take my breath away. (gregdunn@indy.net)
Hard rock with a soft center. Or vice versa. (rkonrad@ibm.net)
Live From The Milky Way
Release info:
1995--Big Cat/Sony--OK 67046
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Essential if you like the others
Group members:
Heather--voice, guitar
David Ayers--guitar
Nadia Lanman--cello
Ali Friend--bass
Dean McCormick--drums
Produced by:
Felix Tod
Comments:
This
second live album was a bit of a disappointment for me. Unlike Blow
these songs are not very different from their studio versions. Having
said that, there is nothing that could be faulted either, the
performance and the recording are competent--it's just that there is
nothing there that would grab me. (afries@zip.com.au)
This album
was used as the American introduction to Heather Nova's music--a
prelude to her first major release here, Oyster, which had already been
released in the U.K. and Europe. If it were the first Heather I'd heard
I would have been really impressed, but having heard all her previous
work and having the U.K. release of Oyster it was a little
disappointing. Especially as her other live album, Blow is such a
knockout. Still it shouldn't be dismissed--it's just that if you have
her other albums you're more likely to listen to them first. (Neile)
A
friendly disagreement here: I slightly prefer Live from the Milky Way
to Blow for its version of "Sugar". My daughter and I really like the
greater contrast between the spooky, slow spoken part and the crashing,
rock-n-roll verses. (gregdunn@indy.net)
Oyster
Release Info:
1995--Big Life--BFLCD12; 1995--re-released by Sony--OK 67113. The Sony version has one extra track, "Sugar".
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Essential
Group members:
Heather--voice, guitar
David Ayers--guitar
Nadia Lanman--cello
Dean McCormick--drums
Produced by:
Felix Tod
Comments:
i
love the album, but it doesn't have the staying power of others. the
music is a bit too direct; once you've listened you've heard it all,
there are no nuances that keep teasing my ears. (damon)
I think
I must worn this CD out over the past couple of months.. The more I
listen to it, the more I enjoy it.. When I first got Oyster it didn't
appeal to me at all. I thought it was loud, chaotic, and not really the
sort of thing I could get into. I wondered what the fuss was all
about.. But somehow, I kept listening, and it slowly grew on me, and I
started seeing the jewels behind the chaos. The more I hear that album,
the more I love it. Especially "Heal", "Walking Higher", "Island" and
"Doubled up". (lombaeg@donald.interpac.be
I feel lucky to have
known about and liked Heather for a couple of years, but this album
proves she's just getting better and better. The songs are strong and
melodic and catchy. My only complaint is that hearing her in concert
made me realize how frequently she uses the trick of a quiet beginning
moving into a loud rocking song. A breakthrough album, but over the
years it hasn't worn on me quite as well as I thought it would. (Neile)
I
agree that Oyster is a solid album. I've been listening to it for 6
months now and I find that the songs move me as much now as when I
first heard them. (marks59@ix.netcom.com)
I think Oyster is a tad overproduced. (gregdunn@indy.net)
I
do think it's kind of bland. I think it's a very hit or miss album. I
like it less and less the more I listen to it, so I usually stick to
the first four songs, and "Doubled Up". It is rather loud. But, at the
time when I first got it I needed that and so I really adored it. Maybe
I was wrapped up in the prettiness of Heather's voice, I don't know.
But as time went on, I started to dislike her style, and her lyrics,
which I once thought were exquisite, started feeling pretty lacking. I
guess the spell of her voice just wore off, because I'm not even that
impressed with her vocals anymore. I'm still glad I have the album
though, since I really do love the first four songs, and "Doubled Up."
(NyxNight@aol.com)
I was shocked when someone commented that
they thought "Walk This World" was blah--I think it's the strongest and
most melodic song on the album! I used to play that song over and
over--couldn't resist that Beatles-y melody, harmony and arrangement. I
also like the song "Verona". It's not as structurally strong as "Walk
This World", but it does have some beautiful vocals. But the other
songs on the album didn't grab me much. (jwermont@sonic.net)
Oyster
is slightly less consistent, but has my two favourite songs, "Heal" and
"Island", because I consider them to be among the most beautifully
written and realised songs ever. "Walking Higher" and "Doubled Up" are
nearly as good. The rockier songs are still great, and they are why I
bought Heather in the first place, but they work more as complements to
the slow songs, and I would dislike a whole album of them.
(afinney@ozonline.com.au)
Oyster was recommended to me, and when
I first owned it, I liked some of the songs, but eventually I sold it
back. Hearing them again at Lilith Fair, I bought Siren and then
rebought Oyster when I found it on sale. It's still growing on me, and
I don't listen to it that often. I took it out tonight because I had a
song in my head, and I was surprised I liked it so much. I think it's
more original, or maybe I should say more experimental, than Siren and
I think it's a better showcase of her incredible voice. I will be
discovering this one for a while. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Siren
Release info:
1998--Sony/Work/Big Cat--OK 67953
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended for fans of Oyster
Group members:
Heather Nova--vocals, acoustic guitar,violin
Guest artists:
Paul Sandrone--bass
Marcus Clifee--bass
Nikolaj Juel--guitar, moog, Rhodes
Guy Fletcher--Hammond organ, piano, wurlitzer, mellotron, tamoura, Hawaiian lap guitar
Geoff Dugmore--drums
Nadia Lanman--montiCello
Danny Cummings--percussion
Satin Singh--percussion
Neil Taylor--additional guitar
David Ayers--guitar
Youth--lead guitar
John Moore--saw
Felix Tod--koto/harmonitor, programming
Jason Mayo--programming
Will Malone--string arrangements
Anne Dudley--string arrangements
Produced by:
Jon Kelly, Felix Tod, Youth
Comments:
We
had to wait a long time for the successor to Oyster. Siren is too
mainstream. Some songs are excellent but most of them are too flat.
Well, still a good album--it also contains some of her best songs (in
my opinion), "Not Only Human" and "Winter Blue"--but I expected more.
(Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)
Though I love Heather Nova I
was somewhat disappointed.... It did sound a lot like Oyster. Problem
is, that happens to be my least favourite of her records. I just keep
hoping for something either more subdued or more rough--just something
that would sound somehow less mainstream and radio-friendly. "Heart and
Shoulder" is so beautiful in my memory of the gig I witnessed, yet it
turns out to be a rather average song on Siren. I hate to admit it but
yes, unfortunately Siren *is* bland. And I think it is largely the
fault of production, which was my favourite gripe with Oyster as well.
I'm not ready to give up on Heather just yet, but she can consider
herself to be "on notice"! (now that'll get her attention :)
Heather
commented that she wanted this album to be more spontaneous and raw
than Oyster--for these ears the effect of Siren is the exact opposite
to what she supposedly set out to do.... If this is raw and
spontaneous, what was Blow?!? Well OK, I'll answer that one myself:
naturally Blow was recorded live, and these were early days. Sadly, 5
years and 3 records later for me at least Blow remains the highlight of
her career. With Siren, she seems to be aiming for a commercial hit
rather than "more spontaneity and room for improvisation", which seem
to be precisely the missing ingredients.... It amazes me how can there
be such huge difference between her statement and my perception of this
record!
Siren has been re-issued in Australia with a bonus CD of
acoustic and live versions. Although I suspect most of them appeared
already on various singles, it's nice to have them all on one disk.
Here are the tracks: "Grow Young", "Water from Wine", "London Rain"
(acoustic), "Blind" (live, I think), and "Walk this World" (acoustic).
Unfortunately
she gets my Fizzle of the Year award. She used to be near the top of my
personal pantheon. But this is a serious disappointment to me...I ended
up liking (or indeed, even remembering without looking at the cover)
just two songs from the whole CD! That's just not good enough.
(afries@zip.com.au)
There wasn't a single song on it that really
jumped out at me--they all sort of sounded the same to me. The songs
were pretty, but in a vague sort of way with no drive or power.
(jwermont@sonic.net)
Siren I think is largely underrated, and as
an album I would actually put in on par with Oyster. The stark beauty
may be slightly obscured under the production and poppiness, but I
think what Heather has really done is mature as a songwriter, and
people who are busy searching for her original magic may miss the vast
array of classic songs it possesses. "Blood Of Me" is edgy and
mysterious, "Winterblue" is a fantastic ballad, "Paper Cup" is
heartbreaking and "Not Only Human" is as evocative as any of the songs
on Glow Stars. I also love every other song on Siren, and I think
they'd be raved about if from a new artist, but are ignored because we
don't expect them from Heather. Oh well.... (afinney@ozonline.com.au)
I
have the UK single for "London Rain" and it has an acoustic version of
the song that makes me realize how much the album's production ruined
what is really a nice song, and one that I could love. The production
makes the song so pop as to be indistinguishable from any other pop
tune of the last 15 years or so. The whole album is like that for me.
Ugh! This album was one of my biggest disappointments of the year.
Since I do like the acoustic versions of the songs it's not the
songwriting. Heather, break free! (Neile)
What I have heard of this sounds pretty good--pretty mainstream but definitely Heather. (jjhanson@att.net)
It
is good enough for me to want to listen to it more...there was an
amazing lack of cello on the album after the live shows :(. My general
impression is that her songs here are less dark and haunting than on
Oyster...a little lighter and alterny-rock accessible....
(paul2k@aol.com)
I love most of the music on Siren, but the
overwhelming pop production values undermine several of the songs--for
example, "Heart And Shoulder": a beautiful ballad turned into a mockery
of '80s pop by the thumping drum and jangling guitar. Sigh. Yes, I
first heard it solo acoustic.... Not her strongest effort, but full of
interesting, cohesive tunes. And that angelic voice! (gregdunn@indy.net)
anyways,
for some reason i don't really understand, i was really looking forward
to siren, but was rather underwhelmed. i found it to be pretty
unchallenging record: the songwriting so-so, the musicianship bland,
the production slick. a couple decent pop tunes, but nothing that
clicked like the other records. oddly enough (given my previous
whines), "london rain" is the song on siren that i like the most.
produced as it is, it's one of those perfectly catchy pop tunes with
ringing guitars--something which i am not able to resist. if the rest
of the record was in the same vein, i'd probably like it more. instead,
it's just slick-but-blah production. *yawn* (woj@smoe.org)
The
single for "Heart and Shoulder" has an acoustic version that is head
and shoulders (ok, that was an easy one ;-) ) above the album one.
Perhaps we can hope for another version of Siren with only acoustic
versions of the songs. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Some songs on
Siren are ruined by a "Stock-Aitken-Waterman"-like production. "Head
and shoulders" is a good example--the chorus sounds like bad '80s
English pop. (Yves.Denneulin@imag.fr)
My first thought is that
she really should sack her producer on Siren and get back to her old,
more energetic, raw sound. (kjetilho@ifi.uio.no)
It's already
been said, compared to Oyster, Siren is a step towards mainstream. I
too found it a little disappointing, but considering my high
expectations, that's not really a surprise :-) Especially the tracks
'London Rain', 'What A Feeling' (both produced by Jon Kelly) and 'Heart
And Shoulder' (produced by Youth) suffer from a somewhat too
radio-friendly production, with generic string arrangements and "oooh
oooh" backing vocals. The tracks by Felix Tod (who also produced Glow
Stars and most of Oyster) are the ones closest to Heather's old
qualities. 'Paper Cup' and 'Not Only Human' are the highlights for me.
I also like the vocals throughout the album, Heather's voice never
sounded so good on a recording. Despite all the criticism, it's a very
good album and I'd recommend it to everyone who likes Oyster.
(Rolf.Peukert@theoinf.tu-ilmenau.de)
I bought this after seeing
her at Lilith Fair, and I really like this album. It's solid pop/rock,
and it feels somehow lighter, sparser than Oyster. Though it's not as
different from the rest of the pop/rock market as Oyster is, it's quite
good. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Boring lowest-common-denominator production. Heather, Heather, you used to be SO cool. (rkonrad@ibm.net)
Like
many people here, I found this to be *way* too bland and mainstream for
my tastes. I listened to it maybe three times. A couple of the songs
worked better in concert, but that wasn't enough to save this one for
me. (meth@smoe.org)
I expected more from Heather. This CD just
sounds so generic. I do like some songs but it's definitely my least
favorite of hers. Nothing comes close to "Island," "Mothertongue," or
"Doubled Up" or.... (spike45@sos.net)
Okay, so I agree with
almost everyone that this certainly isn't Heather's best album. And
that only a few songs really stand out (especially "Winter blue"). But
it's a good album to listen to when you don't want to be disturbed by
the background music, and I've listened to it quite a lot in the past
few months when I did want good music, but didn't want something too
demanding for my busy head. And it's still much better than most music
that's being played on Dutch radio. (Marion)
Gloomy Sunday
Release info:
2000--Germany
Availability:
Europe, or as in import in the U.S.
Comments:
I
recently found a Heather Nova import single, "Gloomy Sunday", which
includes two versions of her cover of the standard for a German film
entitled Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod (A Song of Love And Death), and two
live tracks from Wonderlust.
The cover of "Gloomy Sunday" is wrong,
Wrong, WRONG. It's an upbeat, almost cheery tune here, and Heather's
voice isn't right for it at all. I would never in a thousand years
believe that Heather Nova could ever be about to end it all, not with
that airy soprano of hers (Sarah McLachlan's version, on the other hand
... yowch).
The live tracks, however, give me much hope for the live
album. I've always vastly preferred her live stuff to her studio work
(my favorite album of hers by far is Blow), and these songs,
"Widescreen" and "Make You Mine", which never really grabbed me on
Siren (hell, *nothing* from that album grabbed me) are very reminiscent
in mood and intensity to the stuff on Blow. This is a good thing, in my
book. (meth@smoe.org)
Wonderlust
Release info:
2000--V2 Music--WR1013242
Availability:
Europe, or as in import in the U.S.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for Heather Nova fans
Group members:
Heather Nova--vocals, guitar
Guest artists:
Berit Fridahl--lead guitar
Nadia Lanman--cello, keyboards
Bastian Juet--bass, backing vocals
Laurie Jenkins--drums
Produced by:
"Recorded and mixed by Felix Tod"
Comments:
If,
like me, you didn't like Heather Nova's last studio album, Siren much,
you can take heart from her new live disc (not yet released in the
U.S.), Wonderlust. Heather Nova has always shone live and she knows it
(hence the fact that this is her third official live release), and she
definitely does shine here. This is mostly material from Oyster and
Siren but even the Siren material sounds good to me, which confirms my
belief that it was the production that ruined Siren for me (well, I
also had some acoustic versions of the material on singles that also
confirmed this). Anyway, this isn't startling different than her other
live discs and it contains yet another live version of "Sugar," but I'm
not going to complain--I love this. (Neile)
Great album! I love
everything Heather does though...I agree that Siren was a bit too
produced though. The only thing that bothers me is that most of these
songs sound pretty much like they do on the albums, I'm very big on
hearing different stuff when I listen to an artist live, I didn't hear
much new on this album. I love the live version of "Not only human" and
it's a great live album but I could've done without "london rain".
(RocketsTail@aol.com)
South
Release info:
2001--V2--63881-27121-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended for Heather Nova fans only
Group members:
Heather Nova--vocals, glockenspiel, acoustic guitar, theramin
Guest artists:
Steve Hansen--programming
Laurie Jenkins--drums, percussion
Bastian Juel--bass, piano
Glenn Scott--Hammond, piano
David Ayers--guitars, electric guitar, slide, bass
Felix Tod--programming
Berit Fridahl--guitar
Andreas Dahlback--drums, tambourine
Jerker Odelholm--bass
Simon Nordberg--programming
Peter Kvint--electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
Will Malone--string arrangement
London Session Orchestra--strings
Paul Imsler--guitars
Bryan Adams--guitar, backing vocals
Mike Stansilos--bass
Hugh Elliott--drums
Carol Steele--percussion
Eve Nelson--keyboard, drum programming
Davey Faragher--bass
Mark Goldenberg--guitars
Art Hodge--programming
Bernard Butler--guitars, Rhodes
Jason Mayo--programming, Wurlitzer
Produced by:
Various tracks produced by Felix Tod, D.F. Peterson, Peter Kvint, Eve Nelson, Paul Fox, Bernard Butler
Comments:
It
pains me to have to say that a Heather Nova disc sucks, but this one
does. I really can't recommend it, especially if, like me, your
favorite albums of hers are the live ones (Blow and Wonderlust). She
sounds like she's trying to buy a #1 hit. There are drum machines,
which in themselves aren't totally evil, except that she uses the
pre-programmed presets on them, so they're just unnecessary. She also
doesn't really sound like herself, more like any off-the-rack
bimbo-of-the-week diva you'd see on the cover of Rolling Stone. There
are only two tracks that really sound like Heather Nova songs, and that
to me isn't worth the price of admission.
It's disappointing, but I
guess I should've known this was coming. This is the direction she's
been heading in, starting with Oyster and continuing with Siren.
Your mileage may vary, but I'm guessing more ectophiles will lean toward my opinion of it than not. Buyer beware.
My Disappointment of the Year. (12/01, meth@smoe.org)
okay.
this is belated belated, but am the only one that likes south?
granted
it may be an anomaly, but that happens to be why i like it. i never
really like what i have heard by her. true, my experience with her
isn't all that extensive, but after hearing her first semi-hit here in
this states ("Walk This World") i found and picked up Oyster in the
used bin. for me, it just didn't do much for me. overproduced rock/pop,
with relatively nonmemorable songs.BR> skip six years later, my
brother loans me south and tells me that it's something that he thinks
i would like. i told him i'd give it listen, but the past experience i
have had with Heather Nova wasn't all the best. not bad, but not great.
But
something about south really appealed to me. perhaps it was because of
the obvious pop appeal (anyone that knows me knows, i have an affinity
to ear candy).
i realized that Heather Nova is someone that people
always say i have to experience live before i can appreciate fully. i
felt the same way about Ani Difranco (her albums always fell flat,
while her live experiences--pre-Little plastic Castles--were amazing).
i never picked up Blow or any other live Heather Nova album because i
guess i was turned off by Oyster.
re-listening to Oyster i realized
what i didn't like about the album was it's pretentions to be something
more than a rock or pop album. it was too precious, too contrived for
my tastes. i can understand why people like it, but for me, it fell
flat. perhaps this can be chalked up to the production, but regardless,
it wasn't my cup of tea.
on the other hand, south rings more true.
it has no pretentions of being anything but a rock and pop album. hooks
abound on the album, and remind me of what a good pop song is all
about. the songs are relatively straightforward, and the production
clean and basic. a bit reminiscent of an Aimee Mann (sans angst) album
perhaps, or latter-day Sarah McLachlan (at her perkier moments).
anyway
i just wanted to email a dissenting vote on south. i think if you were
looking for something to hold you over while waiting for the next Aimee
or Sarah album, south might be the answer. on the other hand, if you
are a long-term Heather Nova fan, sounds like you will be disappointed.
good thing i'm not. heh. (12/01, iflin@speakeasy.net)
Now, the
CD is not all that bad if you scratch out Heather's name and just think
of it as "someone else" because then you don't think of things like
"Walk this world" or "Glowstars" when you're listening to it. There are
a few good tracks on the cd but none of them are Heather Nova...some
fans are arguing that she's trying new things but to me it's more like
she wants to be famous REALLY bad. Even the lyrics to the songs don't
seem like Heather. I accepted "Heart and Shoulder" and "london rain" as
viable "singles" to help sell Siren to record companies but South is
just too much. "Heaven Sent" is the only song that stands out in my
mind right now, and it's pure pop radio too. Oh well. I do agree that
even listening to Heather live is amazing and I definitely can't wait
to hear what she does with these songs in concert. (RocketsTail@aol.com)
Another
much overlooked album--a bit overproduced, but has some great simple
songs as well--not nearly as overproduced as her past couple of
releases. I am really enjoying it. I don't think it will win back any
of the people who don't like her pop over-produced recent albums, but I
actually find it catchier than the last couple of albums--produced and
poppy, but Heather's voice glides over it well.
One of the best
songs on the album is the stripped down "Tested" which starts
out--"simplicity is what we need and I know it in my heart" which
features just Heather and her acoustic guitar. Her cover of "Gloomy
Sunday" is also quite good, though the vocals at the beginning are
uncannily like Sinead's. (jjhanson@att.net)
I've been meaning to
express this same sentiment regarding Heather Nova's South, in hopes of
balancing much of the bad rap the album has received here. Sure, it
could be thought of a pop album all around, but within that framework
the music is damn good, and, above all, Heather's voice is as good as
ever, if not better. The album does have a slightly different flavor
than Siren, and in some respects Siren could be thought of as more
over-produced, but South has its own flavor, all cohesive, and, again,
Heather's voice is as good as ever.
If you won't mind allowing the
artist to evolve, to embark in her own artistic journey, even if the
latter mileposts seem to bear dollar signs, you will really enjoy this
album, as have I. (bill@wagill.com)
Heather Nova--The First Recording (EP)
(Originally released as These Walls under the name Heather Frith)
Release info:
Re-released 1997 (originally released in 1990)--Big Cat Records, P.O. Box 3074, London W11 4GY, U.K.--Abb 132SCD
Availability:
U.K. only
Ecto priority:
Essential!
Comments:
This is a CD re-release of her first vinyl-only EP, originally titled
These Walls EP and issued under her real name, Heather Frith. A rare
collectors' item until now. I have to say I'm a bit surprised because I
really like this record. As for quality of the recording, it might not
the greatest, but it is adequate for simple one-voice, one-guitar
songs. Then again, I'm the one who always insists that over-production
is the greatest sin of her more recent releases, so don't take me too
seriously.... (afries@zip.com.au)
This is four songs (just
Heather & acoustic guitar): "These Walls," "New Love," "Further
than You," and "Flying as She Falls." "These Walls" is an extremely
catchy song, and the last two are also rather good. If you see it, it
is probably worth picking up. (cmont@rci.rutgers.edu)
Worth getting if you like Glow Stars. (woj@smoe.org)
This is very reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell--same style of music, very similar voice here. (Neile)
I enjoy listening to it myself, and don't find it so divorced from her
other recordings. It's very clearly Heather Nova, though the songs are
much folkier than her later stuff. It's not what I'd give anyone to win
them over to Heather Nova, but if you already like her and are the kind
of person that likes to listen to earlier, less mature work of artists
you like, I don't think you'll be disappointed. (neal)
There
are definite pre-echoes of her later work. If anything, it's brighter
and less moody than what she's currently doing, but thoroughly worth
listening to multiple times. I must admit I had to listen 2-3 times
before it really kicked in. It's impressive that her voice has changed
very little in 10 years. (gregdunn@indy.net)
I like it, but it certainly is very different from her later stuff. (mcurry@io.com)
I quite like it. I feel it does show glimpses of her other recordings. (Marion)
Glow Stars
Release info:
1993--Butterfly Records, licensed to Big Life (U.K.)--519 189 2
Availability:
U.K., Europe. Hard to find in the U.S.
Ecto priority:
Pretty essential
Comments:
I find Glow Stars to be more quiet than Live From The Milky Way or
Oyster but the songs still have the same emotional intensity. I have a
feeling this one is going to be hanging out in the cd player for quite
a while! (LynnGarrett@aol.com)
The album Glow Stars is actually
Heather's first full-length album from '93. It's a collection of the
demos she used to get signed in the U.K. It is quite different from
Oyster in having a more adventurous and less polished sound. I totally
love the album and think it's a must for any Heather Nova fan.
(marks59@ix.netcom.com)
"Frontier" is definitely a brilliant,
nay, flawless song. Quite a few are on Glowstars. "My Fidelity" has
some of the strongest lyrics Heather's written. "Spirit In You" is
heartbreakingly beautiful, as is "Shell", a favourite of mine.
Glowstars is quite an achievement, starting off jokey and ending up
quite otherworldly and mysterious. "Mothertongue" is brilliant
spiteful, and "Shaking The Dolls" is deliciously chaotic. However
"Frontier" stands out as being the most dreamy, layered and ethereal
piece she's done. (afinney@ozonline.com.au)
In the "Oh Wow How
Did I Miss This One" category, I really like Heather Nova's Glow Stars
cd--and I'm glad I got this before I got Siren or I may have said that
I had enough Heather Nova. I really like the intense imagery in songs
like "Shell", and "Spirit in You". "Ear to the Ground", and "Glowstars"
are nice too. Glowstars restored my faith in Heather.
(rholmes@cs.stanford.edu)
Blow
Release info:
1993--owned by Big Cat, licensed to Butterfly/Big Life Records (U.K.)--BFLCD8
Availability:
Good indie stores, and a few chain stores in the U.S.
Ecto priority:
Essential!
Group members:
david eyers--guitar
maz de castelaine--cello
cocoa solid --bass
richard thair--drums
Comments:
Please note there are two different versions of this disc, a 6-song
version and a less-common 9-song version. The consensus is that the
9-song version is better if you can find it.
The first time I listened to BlowI was blown away :) --really impressive, to say the least. (Marion)
For my money it's better than Oyster which I thought suffered somewhat
from middle-of-the-road, corporate type of production. Blow is more
rough, intense and interesting. A Desert Island Disc for me. I'd have
to have some Heather, and what could be better than Blow?
(afries@zip.com.au)
Blow and Live From The Milky Way are in my
opinion far and away the definitive Heather. The tracks "Mothertongue"
and "Frontier" on Blow take my breath away. (gregdunn@indy.net)
Hard rock with a soft center. Or vice versa. (rkonrad@ibm.net)
Live From The Milky Way
Release info:
1995--Big Cat/Sony--OK 67046
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Essential if you like the others
Group members:
Heather--voice, guitar
David Ayers--guitar
Nadia Lanman--cello
Ali Friend--bass
Dean McCormick--drums
Produced by:
Felix Tod
Comments:
This second live album was a bit of a disappointment for me. Unlike
Blow these songs are not very different from their studio versions.
Having said that, there is nothing that could be faulted either, the
performance and the recording are competent--it's just that there is
nothing there that would grab me. (afries@zip.com.au)
This
album was used as the American introduction to Heather Nova's music--a
prelude to her first major release here, Oyster, which had already been
released in the U.K. and Europe. If it were the first Heather I'd heard
I would have been really impressed, but having heard all her previous
work and having the U.K. release of Oyster it was a little
disappointing. Especially as her other live album, Blow is such a
knockout. Still it shouldn't be dismissed--it's just that if you have
her other albums you're more likely to listen to them first. (Neile)
A friendly disagreement here: I slightly prefer Live from the Milky Way
to Blow for its version of "Sugar". My daughter and I really like the
greater contrast between the spooky, slow spoken part and the crashing,
rock-n-roll verses. (gregdunn@indy.net)
Oyster
Release Info:
1995--Big Life--BFLCD12; 1995--re-released by Sony--OK 67113. The Sony version has one extra track, "Sugar".
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Essential
Group members:
Heather--voice, guitar
David Ayers--guitar
Nadia Lanman--cello
Dean McCormick--drums
Produced by:
Felix Tod
Comments:
i love the album, but it doesn't have the staying power of others. the
music is a bit too direct; once you've listened you've heard it all,
there are no nuances that keep teasing my ears. (damon)
I think
I must worn this CD out over the past couple of months.. The more I
listen to it, the more I enjoy it.. When I first got Oyster it didn't
appeal to me at all. I thought it was loud, chaotic, and not really the
sort of thing I could get into. I wondered what the fuss was all
about.. But somehow, I kept listening, and it slowly grew on me, and I
started seeing the jewels behind the chaos. The more I hear that album,
the more I love it. Especially "Heal", "Walking Higher", "Island" and
"Doubled up". (lombaeg@donald.interpac.be
I feel lucky to have
known about and liked Heather for a couple of years, but this album
proves she's just getting better and better. The songs are strong and
melodic and catchy. My only complaint is that hearing her in concert
made me realize how frequently she uses the trick of a quiet beginning
moving into a loud rocking song. A breakthrough album, but over the
years it hasn't worn on me quite as well as I thought it would. (Neile)
I agree that Oyster is a solid album. I've been listening to it for 6
months now and I find that the songs move me as much now as when I
first heard them. (marks59@ix.netcom.com)
I think Oyster is a tad overproduced. (gregdunn@indy.net)
I do think it's kind of bland. I think it's a very hit or miss album. I
like it less and less the more I listen to it, so I usually stick to
the first four songs, and "Doubled Up". It is rather loud. But, at the
time when I first got it I needed that and so I really adored it. Maybe
I was wrapped up in the prettiness of Heather's voice, I don't know.
But as time went on, I started to dislike her style, and her lyrics,
which I once thought were exquisite, started feeling pretty lacking. I
guess the spell of her voice just wore off, because I'm not even that
impressed with her vocals anymore. I'm still glad I have the album
though, since I really do love the first four songs, and "Doubled Up."
(NyxNight@aol.com)
I was shocked when someone commented that
they thought "Walk This World" was blah--I think it's the strongest and
most melodic song on the album! I used to play that song over and
over--couldn't resist that Beatles-y melody, harmony and arrangement. I
also like the song "Verona". It's not as structurally strong as "Walk
This World", but it does have some beautiful vocals. But the other
songs on the album didn't grab me much. (jwermont@sonic.net)
Oyster is slightly less consistent, but has my two favourite songs,
"Heal" and "Island", because I consider them to be among the most
beautifully written and realised songs ever. "Walking Higher" and
"Doubled Up" are nearly as good. The rockier songs are still great, and
they are why I bought Heather in the first place, but they work more as
complements to the slow songs, and I would dislike a whole album of
them. (afinney@ozonline.com.au)
Oyster was recommended to me,
and when I first owned it, I liked some of the songs, but eventually I
sold it back. Hearing them again at Lilith Fair, I bought Siren and
then rebought Oyster when I found it on sale. It's still growing on me,
and I don't listen to it that often. I took it out tonight because I
had a song in my head, and I was surprised I liked it so much. I think
it's more original, or maybe I should say more experimental, than Siren
and I think it's a better showcase of her incredible voice. I will be
discovering this one for a while. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Siren
Release info:
1998--Sony/Work/Big Cat--OK 67953
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended for fans of Oyster
Group members:
Heather Nova--vocals, acoustic guitar,violin
Guest artists:
Paul Sandrone--bass
Marcus Clifee--bass
Nikolaj Juel--guitar, moog, Rhodes
Guy Fletcher--Hammond organ, piano, wurlitzer, mellotron, tamoura, Hawaiian lap guitar
Geoff Dugmore--drums
Nadia Lanman--montiCello
Danny Cummings--percussion
Satin Singh--percussion
Neil Taylor--additional guitar
David Ayers--guitar
Youth--lead guitar
John Moore--saw
Felix Tod--koto/harmonitor, programming
Jason Mayo--programming
Will Malone--string arrangements
Anne Dudley--string arrangements
Produced by:
Jon Kelly, Felix Tod, Youth
Comments:
We had to wait a long time for the successor to Oyster. Siren is too
mainstream. Some songs are excellent but most of them are too flat.
Well, still a good album--it also contains some of her best songs (in
my opinion), "Not Only Human" and "Winter Blue"--but I expected more.
(Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)
Though I love Heather Nova
I was somewhat disappointed.... It did sound a lot like Oyster. Problem
is, that happens to be my least favourite of her records. I just keep
hoping for something either more subdued or more rough--just something
that would sound somehow less mainstream and radio-friendly. "Heart and
Shoulder" is so beautiful in my memory of the gig I witnessed, yet it
turns out to be a rather average song on Siren. I hate to admit it but
yes, unfortunately Siren *is* bland. And I think it is largely the
fault of production, which was my favourite gripe with Oyster as well.
I'm not ready to give up on Heather just yet, but she can consider
herself to be "on notice"! (now that'll get her attention :)
Heather commented that she wanted this album to be more spontaneous and
raw than Oyster--for these ears the effect of Siren is the exact
opposite to what she supposedly set out to do.... If this is raw and
spontaneous, what was Blow?!? Well OK, I'll answer that one myself:
naturally Blow was recorded live, and these were early days. Sadly, 5
years and 3 records later for me at least Blow remains the highlight of
her career. With Siren, she seems to be aiming for a commercial hit
rather than "more spontaneity and room for improvisation", which seem
to be precisely the missing ingredients.... It amazes me how can there
be such huge difference between her statement and my perception of this
record!
Siren has been re-issued in Australia with a bonus CD of
acoustic and live versions. Although I suspect most of them appeared
already on various singles, it's nice to have them all on one disk.
Here are the tracks: "Grow Young", "Water from Wine", "London Rain"
(acoustic), "Blind" (live, I think), and "Walk this World" (acoustic).
Unfortunately she gets my Fizzle of the Year award. She used to be near
the top of my personal pantheon. But this is a serious disappointment
to me...I ended up liking (or indeed, even remembering without looking
at the cover) just two songs from the whole CD! That's just not good
enough. (afries@zip.com.au)
There wasn't a single song on it
that really jumped out at me--they all sort of sounded the same to me.
The songs were pretty, but in a vague sort of way with no drive or
power. (jwermont@sonic.net)
Siren I think is largely
underrated, and as an album I would actually put in on par with Oyster.
The stark beauty may be slightly obscured under the production and
poppiness, but I think what Heather has really done is mature as a
songwriter, and people who are busy searching for her original magic
may miss the vast array of classic songs it possesses. "Blood Of Me" is
edgy and mysterious, "Winterblue" is a fantastic ballad, "Paper Cup" is
heartbreaking and "Not Only Human" is as evocative as any of the songs
on Glow Stars. I also love every other song on Siren, and I think
they'd be raved about if from a new artist, but are ignored because we
don't expect them from Heather. Oh well.... (afinney@ozonline.com.au)
I have the UK single for "London Rain" and it has an acoustic version
of the song that makes me realize how much the album's production
ruined what is really a nice song, and one that I could love. The
production makes the song so pop as to be indistinguishable from any
other pop tune of the last 15 years or so. The whole album is like that
for me. Ugh! This album was one of my biggest disappointments of the
year. Since I do like the acoustic versions of the songs it's not the
songwriting. Heather, break free! (Neile)
What I have heard of this sounds pretty good--pretty mainstream but definitely Heather. (jjhanson@att.net)
It is good enough for me to want to listen to it more...there was an
amazing lack of cello on the album after the live shows :(. My general
impression is that her songs here are less dark and haunting than on
Oyster...a little lighter and alterny-rock accessible....
(paul2k@aol.com)
I love most of the music on Siren, but the
overwhelming pop production values undermine several of the songs--for
example, "Heart And Shoulder": a beautiful ballad turned into a mockery
of '80s pop by the thumping drum and jangling guitar. Sigh. Yes, I
first heard it solo acoustic.... Not her strongest effort, but full of
interesting, cohesive tunes. And that angelic voice! (gregdunn@indy.net)
anyways, for some reason i don't really understand, i was really
looking forward to siren, but was rather underwhelmed. i found it to be
pretty unchallenging record: the songwriting so-so, the musicianship
bland, the production slick. a couple decent pop tunes, but nothing
that clicked like the other records. oddly enough (given my previous
whines), "london rain" is the song on siren that i like the most.
produced as it is, it's one of those perfectly catchy pop tunes with
ringing guitars--something which i am not able to resist. if the rest
of the record was in the same vein, i'd probably like it more. instead,
it's just slick-but-blah production. *yawn* (woj@smoe.org)
The
single for "Heart and Shoulder" has an acoustic version that is head
and shoulders (ok, that was an easy one ;-) ) above the album one.
Perhaps we can hope for another version of Siren with only acoustic
versions of the songs. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Some songs on
Siren are ruined by a "Stock-Aitken-Waterman"-like production. "Head
and shoulders" is a good example--the chorus sounds like bad '80s
English pop. (Yves.Denneulin@imag.fr)
My first thought is that
she really should sack her producer on Siren and get back to her old,
more energetic, raw sound. (kjetilho@ifi.uio.no)
It's already
been said, compared to Oyster, Siren is a step towards mainstream. I
too found it a little disappointing, but considering my high
expectations, that's not really a surprise :-) Especially the tracks
'London Rain', 'What A Feeling' (both produced by Jon Kelly) and 'Heart
And Shoulder' (produced by Youth) suffer from a somewhat too
radio-friendly production, with generic string arrangements and "oooh
oooh" backing vocals. The tracks by Felix Tod (who also produced Glow
Stars and most of Oyster) are the ones closest to Heather's old
qualities. 'Paper Cup' and 'Not Only Human' are the highlights for me.
I also like the vocals throughout the album, Heather's voice never
sounded so good on a recording. Despite all the criticism, it's a very
good album and I'd recommend it to everyone who likes Oyster.
(Rolf.Peukert@theoinf.tu-ilmenau.de)
I bought this after seeing
her at Lilith Fair, and I really like this album. It's solid pop/rock,
and it feels somehow lighter, sparser than Oyster. Though it's not as
different from the rest of the pop/rock market as Oyster is, it's quite
good. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Boring lowest-common-denominator production. Heather, Heather, you used to be SO cool. (rkonrad@ibm.net)
Like many people here, I found this to be *way* too bland and
mainstream for my tastes. I listened to it maybe three times. A couple
of the songs worked better in concert, but that wasn't enough to save
this one for me. (meth@smoe.org)
I expected more from Heather.
This CD just sounds so generic. I do like some songs but it's
definitely my least favorite of hers. Nothing comes close to "Island,"
"Mothertongue," or "Doubled Up" or.... (spike45@sos.net)
Okay,
so I agree with almost everyone that this certainly isn't Heather's
best album. And that only a few songs really stand out (especially
"Winter blue"). But it's a good album to listen to when you don't want
to be disturbed by the background music, and I've listened to it quite
a lot in the past few months when I did want good music, but didn't
want something too demanding for my busy head. And it's still much
better than most music that's being played on Dutch radio. (Marion)
Gloomy Sunday
Release info:
2000--Germany
Availability:
Europe, or as in import in the U.S.
Comments:
I recently found a Heather Nova import single, "Gloomy Sunday", which
includes two versions of her cover of the standard for a German film
entitled Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod (A Song of Love And Death), and two
live tracks from Wonderlust.
The cover of "Gloomy Sunday" is wrong,
Wrong, WRONG. It's an upbeat, almost cheery tune here, and Heather's
voice isn't right for it at all. I would never in a thousand years
believe that Heather Nova could ever be about to end it all, not with
that airy soprano of hers (Sarah McLachlan's version, on the other hand
... yowch).
The live tracks, however, give me much hope for the
live album. I've always vastly preferred her live stuff to her studio
work (my favorite album of hers by far is Blow), and these songs,
"Widescreen" and "Make You Mine", which never really grabbed me on
Siren (hell, *nothing* from that album grabbed me) are very reminiscent
in mood and intensity to the stuff on Blow. This is a good thing, in my
book. (meth@smoe.org)
Wonderlust
Release info:
2000--V2 Music--WR1013242
Availability:
Europe, or as in import in the U.S.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for Heather Nova fans
Group members:
Heather Nova--vocals, guitar
Guest artists:
Berit Fridahl--lead guitar
Nadia Lanman--cello, keyboards
Bastian Juet--bass, backing vocals
Laurie Jenkins--drums
Produced by:
"Recorded and mixed by Felix Tod"
Comments:
If, like me, you didn't like Heather Nova's last studio album, Siren
much, you can take heart from her new live disc (not yet released in
the U.S.), Wonderlust. Heather Nova has always shone live and she knows
it (hence the fact that this is her third official live release), and
she definitely does shine here. This is mostly material from Oyster and
Siren but even the Siren material sounds good to me, which confirms my
belief that it was the production that ruined Siren for me (well, I
also had some acoustic versions of the material on singles that also
confirmed this). Anyway, this isn't startling different than her other
live discs and it contains yet another live version of "Sugar," but I'm
not going to complain--I love this. (Neile)
Great album! I love
everything Heather does though...I agree that Siren was a bit too
produced though. The only thing that bothers me is that most of these
songs sound pretty much like they do on the albums, I'm very big on
hearing different stuff when I listen to an artist live, I didn't hear
much new on this album. I love the live version of "Not only human" and
it's a great live album but I could've done without "london rain".
(RocketsTail@aol.com)
South
Release info:
2001--V2--63881-27121-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended for Heather Nova fans only
Group members:
Heather Nova--vocals, glockenspiel, acoustic guitar, theramin
Guest artists:
Steve Hansen--programming
Laurie Jenkins--drums, percussion
Bastian Juel--bass, piano
Glenn Scott--Hammond, piano
David Ayers--guitars, electric guitar, slide, bass
Felix Tod--programming
Berit Fridahl--guitar
Andreas Dahlback--drums, tambourine
Jerker Odelholm--bass
Simon Nordberg--programming
Peter Kvint--electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
Will Malone--string arrangement
London Session Orchestra--strings
Paul Imsler--guitars
Bryan Adams--guitar, backing vocals
Mike Stansilos--bass
Hugh Elliott--drums
Carol Steele--percussion
Eve Nelson--keyboard, drum programming
Davey Faragher--bass
Mark Goldenberg--guitars
Art Hodge--programming
Bernard Butler--guitars, Rhodes
Jason Mayo--programming, Wurlitzer
Produced by:
Various tracks produced by Felix Tod, D.F. Peterson, Peter Kvint, Eve Nelson, Paul Fox, Bernard Butler
Comments:
It pains me to have to say that a Heather Nova disc sucks, but this one
does. I really can't recommend it, especially if, like me, your
favorite albums of hers are the live ones (Blow and Wonderlust). She
sounds like she's trying to buy a #1 hit. There are drum machines,
which in themselves aren't totally evil, except that she uses the
pre-programmed presets on them, so they're just unnecessary. She also
doesn't really sound like herself, more like any off-the-rack
bimbo-of-the-week diva you'd see on the cover of Rolling Stone. There
are only two tracks that really sound like Heather Nova songs, and that
to me isn't worth the price of admission.
It's disappointing, but I
guess I should've known this was coming. This is the direction she's
been heading in, starting with Oyster and continuing with Siren.
Your mileage may vary, but I'm guessing more ectophiles will lean toward my opinion of it than not. Buyer beware.
My Disappointment of the Year. (12/01, meth@smoe.org)
okay.
this is belated belated, but am the only one that likes south?
granted it may be an anomaly, but that happens to be why i like it. i
never really like what i have heard by her. true, my experience with
her isn't all that extensive, but after hearing her first semi-hit here
in this states ("Walk This World") i found and picked up Oyster in the
used bin. for me, it just didn't do much for me. overproduced rock/pop,
with relatively nonmemorable songs.BR> skip six years later, my
brother loans me south and tells me that it's something that he thinks
i would like. i told him i'd give it listen, but the past experience i
have had with Heather Nova wasn't all the best. not bad, but not great.
But something about south really appealed to me. perhaps it was because
of the obvious pop appeal (anyone that knows me knows, i have an
affinity to ear candy).
i realized that Heather Nova is someone
that people always say i have to experience live before i can
appreciate fully. i felt the same way about Ani Difranco (her albums
always fell flat, while her live experiences--pre-Little plastic
Castles--were amazing). i never picked up Blow or any other live
Heather Nova album because i guess i was turned off by Oyster.
re-listening to Oyster i realized what i didn't like about the album
was it's pretentions to be something more than a rock or pop album. it
was too precious, too contrived for my tastes. i can understand why
people like it, but for me, it fell flat. perhaps this can be chalked
up to the production, but regardless, it wasn't my cup of tea.
on
the other hand, south rings more true. it has no pretentions of being
anything but a rock and pop album. hooks abound on the album, and
remind me of what a good pop song is all about. the songs are
relatively straightforward, and the production clean and basic. a bit
reminiscent of an Aimee Mann (sans angst) album perhaps, or latter-day
Sarah McLachlan (at her perkier moments).
anyway i just wanted to
email a dissenting vote on south. i think if you were looking for
something to hold you over while waiting for the next Aimee or Sarah
album, south might be the answer. on the other hand, if you are a
long-term Heather Nova fan, sounds like you will be disappointed. good
thing i'm not. heh. (12/01, iflin@speakeasy.net)
Now, the CD is
not all that bad if you scratch out Heather's name and just think of it
as "someone else" because then you don't think of things like "Walk
this world" or "Glowstars" when you're listening to it. There are a few
good tracks on the cd but none of them are Heather Nova...some fans are
arguing that she's trying new things but to me it's more like she wants
to be famous REALLY bad. Even the lyrics to the songs don't seem like
Heather. I accepted "Heart and Shoulder" and "london rain" as viable
"singles" to help sell Siren to record companies but South is just too
much. "Heaven Sent" is the only song that stands out in my mind right
now, and it's pure pop radio too. Oh well. I do agree that even
listening to Heather live is amazing and I definitely can't wait to
hear what she does with these songs in concert. (RocketsTail@aol.com)
Another much overlooked album--a bit overproduced, but has some great
simple songs as well--not nearly as overproduced as her past couple of
releases. I am really enjoying it. I don't think it will win back any
of the people who don't like her pop over-produced recent albums, but I
actually find it catchier than the last couple of albums--produced and
poppy, but Heather's voice glides over it well.
One of the best
songs on the album is the stripped down "Tested" which starts
out--"simplicity is what we need and I know it in my heart" which
features just Heather and her acoustic guitar. Her cover of "Gloomy
Sunday" is also quite good, though the vocals at the beginning are
uncannily like Sinead's. (jjhanson@att.net)
I've been meaning
to express this same sentiment regarding Heather Nova's South, in hopes
of balancing much of the bad rap the album has received here. Sure, it
could be thought of a pop album all around, but within that framework
the music is damn good, and, above all, Heather's voice is as good as
ever, if not better. The album does have a slightly different flavor
than Siren, and in some respects Siren could be thought of as more
over-produced, but South has its own flavor, all cohesive, and, again,
Heather's voice is as good as ever.
If you won't mind allowing the
artist to evolve, to embark in her own artistic journey, even if the
latter mileposts seem to bear dollar signs, you will really enjoy this
album, as have I. (bill@wagill.com)
Storm
Release info:
2003--Big Cat
Availability:
Wide in U.K.
Ecto priority:
Recommended for Heather Nova fans
Group members:
Heather Nova--guitar, vocals
Guest artists:
Carlos Anthony Molina--bass, piano, Hammond B3
Scott Petito--bass
Lenny Kaye--guitar on 1 track
Produced by:
The Diving Sparks and Heather Nova
Comments:
After
being disappointed with Siren and South I thought I'd give her another
chance. Especially as I love some of her earlier work so much, and
several reviews had suggested that this album was a return to form.
Nope.
And not only that it makes it clear that it's not just the production
that was getting in the way of my enjoyment of her work, as the
production here is pretty stripped down. The material just isn't as
good as her earlier work, and there are some embarrassing clunkers in
the lyrics in just about every song. This isn't such a bad album
musically, but I'll never play it. (Neile)
Further info:
There are various singles available in the U.K., Japan, and Europe which include various live versions and cover songs.Storm
Release info:
2003--Big Cat
Availability:
Wide in U.K.
Ecto priority:
Recommended for Heather Nova fans
Group members:
Heather Nova--guitar, vocals
Guest artists:
Carlos Anthony Molina--bass, piano, Hammond B3
Scott Petito--bass
Lenny Kaye--guitar on 1 track
Produced by:
The Diving Sparks and Heather Nova
Comments:
After
being disappointed with Siren and South I thought I'd give her another
chance. Especially as I love some of her earlier work so much, and
several reviews had suggested that this album was a return to form.
Nope. And not only that it makes it clear that it's not just the
production that was getting in the way of my enjoyment of her work, as
the production here is pretty stripped down. The material just isn't as
good as her earlier work, and there are some embarrassing clunkers in
the lyrics in just about every song. This isn't such a bad album
musically, but I'll never play it. (Neile)
Further info:
There are various singles available in the U.K., Japan, and Europe which include various live versions and cover songs.
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