I’ve done it before. I’ve tried to have an open mind to artists that seem to have some talent, but don’t live up to their potential. I’ve tracked down other discs, and in the case of the ill-fated Catatonia failed miserably. On this occasion, I’ve decided to re-evaluate my thoughts regarding Heather Nova. My previous experience with her music was as a result of the minor success of Siren…an album which really highlighted her potential but was in the end something less than mediocre.
Anyway, to recap, Heather Nova was born in Bermuda, traveled the world aboard a boat, and eventually landed in New York City and then finally London in an effort to pursue her musical career. Nova first set voice to tape in 1991 with her self-titled and wholly ignored EP. Soon after, she once again tried her hand at music with another largely ignored (this time full-length) effort Glowstars.
It wasn’t until 1994’s Oyster that people really began to see her potential. The album is even today her most popular and for that matter musically sturdy. Nova connected best with her English audiences. Americans still knew little of the singer-songwriter. After a four-year hiatus, she returned with Siren…an album for which I have little love. Two tracks, Heart & Shoulder and London Rain landed on college radio. But, in my opinion, they were much too sticky sweet. She is indeed talented, but lacks the material (also her own) to best present her voice.
South is a homage of sorts to Bermuda. Actually, let me rephrase that…the title is at least a reference the music is pop. Released first in Europe, the album hit shelves stateside in December 2001. Some fans were driven away by the somewhat risky pop sound. Others were drawn by the album’s overall accessibility. I, on the other hand, find myself annoyed by the album’s triteness at times and wowed by Nova’s voice at other times.
On songs like Gloomy Sunday I’m reminded of exactly why I have in the past hailed Nova as a great vocal talent. She is dour, understated, yet jazzy and upbeat at the same time. It’s exceptionally easy to compare her to a less soulful Billie Holiday. I do appreciate the song and would have therefore gotten greater joy out of South had all of the tracks been that amazing. Alas…they are not on the whole.
Single, Virus of the Mind is shimmering and even the slightest bit funky. Rather than using her lovely voice to sing, she uses it to speak the verses. At the chorus, Nova breaks steps back in with clean and concise and exceptionally girly vocals. This is above average pop music for sure, but not exactly groundbreaking in the overall scheme of the scene. Decent enough to listen to…not special enough to idolize.
Also, If I Saw You in the Movie is a melodramatic little ditty. The organ, light percussion, and controlled voice are all nice. I just can’t get into the track on the whole. One song that I do like is I’m No Angel. Rather than working really hard to be sad and thoughtful, Nova breaks through with an upbeat pop track. Without question, this is probably the easiest song for most listeners to appreciate. Hey, it even recalls the sound of 1960’s girl groups.
With that said, the rest of the album is pretty anticlimactic. Most of the songs have the same musical and lyrical themes. Most blend too easily into one another. I find it pretty difficult to distinguish every song from the next. None is bad really, I can say that Talk To Me has a lovely melody. Live Lovers Do is lightly fascinating with a great bass guitar and otherwise almost invisible instruments. Finally, Just Been Born is a decent enough song and cleanly mixes jazzy sounds with spoken word (which I really enjoy when done well) and Nova’s evocative chorus. The problem? Well, it just doesn’t have any direction.
I suppose South is better than Siren. Each song is less “pop” than those on the earlier album. But, the overall feeling is somewhere between Jewel and Natalie Merchant and therefore is indeed some hybrid of pop music. Anyway, I have to recommend South. It’s not a great album, but it is something a little better than average. And if you’re fascinated by female vocalists, Heather Nova will certainly fit the bill on this album (don’t buy Siren…it’s a major disappointment) and possibly also on Oyster. South is a better album than I expected.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing
01. Gloomy Sunday
02. If I Saw You in the Movie
03. Talk to Me
04. Heaven Sent
05. Help Me be Good to You
06. Like Lovers Do
07. Virus of the Mind
08. It's Only Love
09. When Somebody Turns You On
10. Waste the Day
11. I'm No Angel
12. Tested
13. Just Been Born
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