Cindy Filipenko

Serena Ryder Rides High on Success by Cindy Filipenko

Serena Ryder Rides High on Success

It’s a couple of days after the U.S. election and Serena Ryder is still enraptured by U.S. president Barack Obama’s victory.

When it Cliks by Cindy Filipenko

When it Cliks

Three years ago, The Cliks were a semi-professional trio playing the usual gigs available to openly queer bands.

Spitfire by Cindy Filipenko

Spitfire

Ani DiFranco’s commitment to being a free agent is inspiring.

While the indie musician is definitely concerned about the state of her country, she’s not particularly worried about the impact George W. Bush’s administration has had on civil liberties—not on hers, anyway.

“As Utah Phillips would say, ‘The amount you resist is the amount you are free.' And I think I will always resist this basic encroachment on my human rights, so I will always feel free. “

Reach for the Stars by Cindy Filipenko

Reach for the Stars

Fair-skinned girls who want mainstream acceptance aren’t singing about gender politics or First Nations’ issues, either, but that’s exactly what makes Kinnie Starr stand out. Favourably compared in the music press to Lauryn Hill, PJ Harvey and Ani Difranco, Starr has spent her 10-year career on the edge of mainstream success. Her first album came out in 1996 and she has worked steadily—albeit often independently—since then. Now, her debut on the critically acclaimed Canadian label MapleMusic stands to bring Starr and her politics a larger audience.

Indigos Shine Light on Politics, Gay Marriage and Making Music by Cindy Filipenko

Indigos Shine Light on Politics, Gay Marriage and Making Music

It’s a typical muggy July afternoon in Vancouver.

Imaginings

CDImage:

Artist:

Hilary Grist

Label:

Independent

Review by:

Cindy Filipenko

Cabaret cool meets ethereal pop, then gets completely subjugated by the wittiest lyrics to recent memory—welcome to Hilary Grist and her new CD, Imaginings. Grist is best known as a CBC artist, as national radio is one of the few places her brand of eclectic pop fits.

Hannah Georgas

CDImage:

Artist:

Hannah Georgas

Label:

Hidden Pony

Review by:

Cindy Filipenko

Calling a CD This is Good is a ballsy move, as it opens up an artist to all kinds of nasty remarks that pass for wit when scrawled by snide music reviewers.

Funk This

CDImage:

Artist:

Chaka Khan

Label:

Burgundy Records

Review by:

Chaka Khan

Ever since her early days fronting the band Rufus, when she implored us to “Tell Me Something Good,” Chaka Khan has had unmistakable pipes. The funk equivalent of Gladys Knight, Khan has been an underrated vocalist for most of her career. Sure, she has eight Grammy awards, but what good are tiny golden gramophones when your music isn’t getting out to the masses? How good is she? Well, she’s probably the only woman capable of taking a Prince song and making it her own.

Romanian Fantasy

CDImage:

Artist:

Marilyn Lerner

Label:

Independent

Review by:

Cindy Filipenko

The fact that renowned Canadian musician Marilyn Lerner recorded her most recent CD at CBC’s Glenn Gould studio seems fitting. This Winnipeg-bred, Toronto-based musician is the most likely heir to the mantel occupied by the famous scarf-wearing eccentric who brought Bach to modern audiences via the splendid Goldberg Variations. An undisputedly gifted composer, Lerner has also earned a reputation as a fine improviser, winning accolades from both critics and her peers in jazz circles.

Sunseed

CDImage:

Artist:

Hayley Sales

Label:

Universal

Review by:

Cindy Filipenko

Like any right-thinking 20-year-old hipster, Hayley Sales counts among the musicians she admires Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and Dave Matthews. The difference between Sales and her contemporaries is that she is competition for any of aforementioned singer-songwriters. Sales’ first major-label release, Sunseed, is a triumph. With a feel-good message, philosophy-light lyrics and fancy fret work, the first single, “What You Want,” is Jack Johnson meets Norah Jones.