After buying the album "The Reminder" I was hooked. I went in search of more, and found this absolute gem. I had no idea that "The Reminder" wasn't the debut, as (like quite a few people I imagine) I hadn't had the pleasure of listening to Feist until the infamous 1234 ipod advert which gave her a well deserved and long overdue popularity boost!
On a very superficial level, the album songs can be loosely divided into two categories: Blues (songs like 3.Let it Die, 7.When I was a Young Girl, 6.Lonely Lonely, 1. Gatekeeper, etc) , and Disco (such as 9.Inside and Out, 4.One Evening 9.Secret Heart)
On further listening though, I realised that imposing fixed genre labels on this album is totally wrong. Each song, even the beautifully haunting accoustic songs, has huge depth and multiple layers, quirks and twists which form variations on the typical "genre" templates. Some of these twists are subtle, others are less so, and I will admit it took me a while to fully take in the depth of each arrangement, and everytime I listen I hear something new, which makes for a very exciting experience indeed!
Feist is clearly something very special indeed. Her voice is truly unique, her lyrics just fit perfectly (and an extra bonus for me is that the CD case actually has the lyrics in it! so you can fully appreciate the poetry of them) This is the kind of album I'd put on to have in the background, as most of the songs are good enough to wash over you. Every now and then I get jolted back into reality by the two or three absolute crackers which I can't help but stop what I'm doing and listen to them intently! This album really has enough variety to bring out a whole heap of different emotions. I defy anyone to listen to songs like Mushaboom, Secret Heart, and One Evening, without tapping their toes and clapping their hands, as the songs are fantastically energising and uplifting. On the other side of the emotional spectrum, songs like Let it Die, Lonely Lonely and Gatekeeper are so wonderfully haunting and melacholic that it is impossible not to feel empathy with the lyrical heart break on show. Feist's voice is unique enough to stand up to this variety, and never disappoints.
I rate this album 4/5 (it would be 4.75 if I could, but still) This reflects how I feel about this album compared to "The Reminder." For me, although this album is fabulous, her 2nd offering to the world of music, is to me just that little bit more filled out and polished, and is more consistent. In this album it takes a while to get used to some of the songs (I only have a big issue with the very last song "L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" - techno french accordion is really NOT my thing! But maybe I'll grow to love it!) and it is a bit more work, whereas "The Reminder" was an instant hit with me.
In conclusion: Definately worth the money (£5...I mean come on!!) and also well worth it as part of the Feist collection, buy it even if you only have the follow up, as this album really shows her musical "roots" if you like, and I love to see how an artist changes and progresses over their career.
Quirky and truly original, a must for fans of gentle, unique, songwriting talent.