Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rebird flies, 24 Nov 2005
Heather Nova emanated a sexy, dark vibe in her first albums, "Oyster" and "Siren," with angry-sexy lyrics and sensuous guitar-driven pop music. It was unique, driven and strong musically.
After that, surprisingly, her music seemed to lose some of its edge -- it was still good, just not as intense. Now, in her first album after her daughter's birth, Nova returns some of that intensity to her music, albeit in a slightly more mellow, meditative manner.
Things open on a strong note with the driving guitar of "Welcome," which blossoms into a swirling rock song full of sensuous riffs and Nova's strong voice. "And there's so much I can do for you/Given time I know that I can prove/Now my world is offered up to you/Come inside..." she calls out, sounding more powerful than ever.
That sound doesn't continue, though. The next song, a tribute to Amelia Earhart, is an enchantingly soft ballad that is complete lament, one of the loveliest songs that Nova has ever done. "Motherland" seems to be a song to her child, both marveling at her and promising to protect her.
Then a bit of Nova's earlier sound returns, with slow-burning sultriness. She sings of redbirds, oceans, veiled erotic allusions about tasting pomegranates, a lover who makes her cry with his beautiful face, and a darkly beautiful cover of Chris Isaac's "Wicked."
She finishes up the album with a pair of more uplifting songs -- one which yearns for love, and refers to her body as "sacred ground/Waiting here to be found." The outro is a sweet ballad that assures "darling" of love, comfort, and that "Remember/The sun will always rise/And bring the light..." It sounds corny, but it is rather uplifting.
In a word, "Redbird" straddles the line between the the more sensuous tunes of her early career, and the more mellow, relaxed sound in recent years. It's not surprising -- Nova has grown and matured, and reflects in one love song that "This body has traveled onThis body is fine and strong/This body has given life...."
If Nova seems to be balanced out between sensuality and maturity, then so is her songwriting -- for every sexy rocker, there's a loving ballad that assures love and comfort. She seems to be balancing out Nova the nurterer with Nova the woman, and it works surprisingly well.
There are a few dud songs, such as "A Way to Live," which suffers from rather simplistic lyrics, and a vocal style that makes Nova sound a bit shrill. However, more often than not, the richness of her vocals and the smooth instrumentation make these songs shine. While the acoustic guitar as the center of things, Nova also depends on trembling organ melodies and tinkling piano.
Heather Nova has grown up, and so has her music. "Red Bird" is one of her mellower albums, but has regained the sensuality and edge of her early work. This bird flies.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I saw the redbird fly...., 3 Sep 2005
This is Heather's 6th studio album, and it's a great effort. It looks into motherhood and the bloodlines of the world. It's a very special album.Starting with "Welcome", an american bonus track off "South", the album gives us a strong into - but this song does seem a little out of place on this album. It's a very strong first single, though. Track 2 is the phenominal "I miss my sky". And...Wow. It's one of her best written songs ever. And it's so beautifully crafted and peformed. Definatly the highlight of the album. "Motherland", track 3, is the first song about motherhood. It's a strong song, sung beautifully with a really catchy guitar riff. I really adore this song.The title track "Redbird" reminds me of her last album, Storm's, Aquamarine - in the sense that it seems to be more of a sound landscape rather than, say, a ballard. It's a good song that aims to make you imagine blood. Next is one of my favourite tracks, "Done drifiting", the choir works so well with Heather and creates a really beautiful songs. "Overturned" has the sort of strong guitar riff that reminds me of "Maybe an angel" as it's so strong and memorable. I love this song. It's one of my favourites. It sticks itself really far into your mind. "Mesmerized" is a gorgeous song that really opens out Heather's beautiful voice. "Singing you through" is the accoustic moment of the album, drawing back memories of her last album Storm. It's a beautiful song about being there for someone. It's one of my favourites. And as you can see, I have a lot of favourites on this album! "A way to live" also features a choir, but they don't work as well with Heather's voice as they did on "Done drifting". A great song never the less, about finding a way to live in this world. "Wicked game" the Chris Issac cover sticks closely to the original version but Heather still manages to give it her own little touch. And it works. "This body" is probably the weakest track on the album, but I can still go around singing it because it's really good at sticking in your mind. "The sun will always Rise", the closer, is a lulluby to Nova's son. And whilst it seems like a cheesy concept and a cheesy song name, it works and is a really good song. A strong closer that really stays with you. Overall I'd give this album 10 out of 10. It's not my favourite album, but it's still really good and I really enjoy it when I play -every- song. Which certainly makes a point of saying it's one of her most constant albums. And "I miss my sky" is wow, one of her best songs ever.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshingly different, 29 Sep 2005
It was Heather's well-known hit 'Island' that first got me interested in her music. A song which I discovered during time spent in the USA. Since purchasing this album I have invested in all of her former albums including her 1999 album 'South' which seems to be one of her most popular. That said, this one is by far my favorite and one of the easiest to listen to. Highlights on this album for me include her single 'Welcome', 'Motherland' , 'Done Drifting' and 'This Body'. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys interesting/unusual artists and sounds such as Tori Amos for example, Tara McLean and Dido (although their styles are not alike). Try this album out - it is worth a listen.
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