Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Colleen Brown, Colleen Brown Music, 2021.
I have recently come across Canadian singer/songwriter Colleen Brown and I am particularly taken with her brand of intelligent indie pop/rock.
A few weeks ago I reviewed her collaboration with fellow Canadians, Scenic Route To Alaska, under the band and album name Major Love.
It’s a great album of energetic pop/rock that is worthy of your attention.
It led me to look up Ms Brown to see what else she has done and I came across this album.
The album consists of nine tracks that display Colleen’s wonderful song writing abilities and great voice.
The songs range from the up-tempo rocker Lead Me On, to ballads including the impressive title track – which has Colleen accompanied only by her piano, through to catchy full band pop/rock tunes such as Soap and Denim and Moncton Flight, and on to her delightful ode to Randy Newman (who she opened for when he toured Canada).
Randy Newman is one of my all-time favourite songwriters and I can identify with her claim that she loves to hear “Singing Randy Newman in my (her) ears”.
Another impressive ballad is the wonderfully titled Don’t Forget About Me (When You Know Who You Are).
It’s a slow ballad about a love that fell apart because one of the parties wasn’t ready for commitment.
It’s a condition that many of us can relate to.
It’s a slow builder of a song that develops tremendous power as it progresses.
It’s probably the best track on a really good album.
Colleen’s instrument of choice is the piano and it is the dominant instrument throughout most of the album.
She’s a good pianist, singer, and songwriter. She knows her craft well.
The final track, I Asked The Night, is a powerful folk song that is full of atmospherics with sparsely strummed acoustic guitar underpinnings and distorted electric guitar overlays.
The track provides a fitting end to an impressive album.
