Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nine Celestial Compositions and One Super Nova, July 8, 2000
For non-fans who have been frightened away from Jane Siberry because of reviewer's descriptions such as "quirky," "exotic," and "obscure," Bound By The Beauty would be a suitable choice to investigate this fascinating Canadian singer/songwriter. The CD is accessible: you can tap your feet and sway with the rhythm (well, most of the time). And Siberry enthusiasts (are we "Siberrites"?) need not be dismayed. Jane's intelligence and touches of humor separate her from the oh-so-serious artists. Her observations and narratives are akin to first-rate poetry: she sees beyond what is visual, and reports in an pictorial style which is beyond that of mere mortals (at least years beyond my simple efforts). In `Something About Trains,' the whistle of a train sent into the silent sky shivers her soul. Jane's "love and heartache" ballads border on hallucinations: "I grabbed your shoulders then I through you as hard as ever" from `La Jalouse.'Musically inventive? Of course.`Everything Reminds Me Of My Dog' has three verses, two vocal choruses with different melodies, and ends with an extended verse. The lyrics are in the first and second person. A simple piano line holds the composition together. The chorus of `The Valley' ("We will walk in good company") soars straight-up to heaven. Situated in the center of nine celestial compositions is an inspirational Super Nova: `The Life Is The Red Wagon' is a beautiful, melodic and driving anthem of supreme companionship and support. "The life is the red wagon simple and strong, but when the feet are draggin', you pull me and I pull you." Who, except Jane Siberry, could effectively use the metaphor of boundless love and a child's red wagon. Only Jane.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Happy Happy, Joy Joy, May 30, 2000
I have never been able to get into any of Jane Siberry's other albums, but "Bound by the Beauty," with its idiosyncrasies perfectly balanced against an organic pop sound, hooked me eleven years ago and hasn't let go. It's in my nature to be suspect of cheery pop songs because of the usual music biz cynicism just below the bright and shiny surface, but the thing that keeps me coming back to this recording is the genuine blissfulness it exudes. "The Life is the Red Wagon," the first of these songs I heard, might just be some cornball feelgood ditty in other hands, but when Siberry observes that "when the feet are draggin'/you pull for me/and I pull for you," I'm buying the whole thing, corn and all.I remember playing this album for a friend who didn't take to Siberry's voice, which can slip into falsetto or whisper without warning and hence may be irritating to some. Her vocal style has been vindicated to a certain extent, though, since Shawn Colvin appropriated some of her singing techniques, but the loose meter that Siberry employs here to fit her lyrics in and the way she tosses in casual asides at the end of some lines is completely her own. It's an effective approach that draws something from jazz, though only through suggestion. The playing also benefits from that loose feel, effortlessly changing direction or pulling Latin rhythms into the mix in a way that doesn't seem at all forced. Siberry has a sense of humor, too, and is able to transform something that appears as unwieldy on the surface as "Are We Dancing Now" into the musical equivalent of a good morning kiss. She even gets away with couplets like "I coulda been Miss Punta Blanca/I coulda but I didn't want ta." And anyone who writes a song that blissfully celebrates the Canadian obsession with hockey from the perspective of kids playing on the frozen river is onto something; I still get chills when she sings the line, "They rioted in the streets of Montreal when they benched Rocket Richard, it's true." Somewhere in the midst of all this lurks a kind of Zen simplicity and joy: Siberry writes about trains, her dog, red wagons, hockey, "the hissing of that old steam iron as you press your clothes." There is much reverie here and, by the end of the album, she seems to have made her point: there is also much to love.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jane Siberry can make a grocery list sound etheral., January 18, 1999
By A Customer
Bound by the Beauty was my introduction to Jane Siberry. I was driving my car and heard the title song on a college alternative station. As soon as I got home I called the station to find out who the artist was. Ten years later I am still a fan and consider her my favorite artist.The special thing about Jane Siberry is that when you listen to her music you feel an intimate bond with her. Her voice is angelic, etheral. Her lyrics are always intelligent, but can also be nostalgic, thought provoking, humorous, self-reflecting. Each of her albums have a distinctly different sound, reflecting her artistic and personal growth. While she has released subsequent albums that I like better, Bound by the Beauty will always hold a special place in my heart. It has some whimsical songs and some truly heart wrenching ballads. It's always a pleasure to listen to. Like spending time with an old friend.
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by Jane Siberry 
