Customer Reviews

Let It Die

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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This is a beautiful album. It is one of those wonderful albums which you discover new things you love about it with each new sitting. At first One Evening hooked me in. I listened to this track on repeat for around 6 hours non-stop before I explored else where on the album. Then I couldn't get over Feist's reworking of The Bee Gees Inside & Out, it is the sort of heart break disco that Sister Sledge made with Thinking of You, dance away your tears. One of my fave all time singers is true jazz original Blossom Dearie but Feist's take of Now at Last puts Blossom's in the shade and rips your heart out with its beauty. I'm still discovering the beauty of tracks I never focussed on at the beginning as much....Mushaboom, Amourissima, Secret Heart, When I Was a Young Girl...WOW!
Feist is a trully wonderful singer with that rare combination of vunerability, power and purity. Gonzales' production is a great example of how less can be much much more and Let it Die has to be one of the most beautifully recorded albums (sonically speaking) ever. I believe this album will grow in stature and it will continue to find a new audience until it is recognised as a modern classic.
Even better this edition has bonus tracks.

If Lesie Feist sounds familiar, it's because of her musical resume -- it ranges from Canadian indie-popsters Broken Social Scene to female rapper Peaches to the Kings of Convenience. That sort of resume also makes one wonder -- what will her solo debut, "Let It Die," sound like?

The answer: Stripped down, sensual pop music, with a touch of jazz and trip-hop around the edges. It kicks off with only the strums of an acoustic guitar, before Feist jumps in like an orphaned torch singer. "Well it's time to begin/as the summer sets in/It's the scene you set for new lovers," she croons.

From there on, Feist doesn't even slow down. She ventures into cheery, catchy pop like "Mushaboom," sensual slow ballads, rippling trippy songs, and smooth torch songs. There's even -- surprisingly -- a cover of the Bee Gees' "Inside And Out," which she gives a funky spin, and a delicately catchy cover of Ron Sexsmith's underrated "Secret Heart."

The flavour of Feist's music isn't the sort that sets off fireworks and sets you raving about how much fun it is. "Let It Die" is the sort of album that is periodically hailed as being the real deal -- no studio tricks, little musical polish, and a reliance on good songwriting and tunes rather than hooks. In other words, pure music.

The star of the music is Feist herself; her vocals are front-and-center, and she proves herself a rare kind of singer. No "American Idol" vocal explosions, no hyperdramatics. Instead, Feist flexes her vocals in all sorts of different ways -- breathy, husky, ethereal and coy, and and moving along with the music in perfect sync.

Not that Feist's good voice doesn't mean that the music isn't also good. Most of the instrumentation is based on piano and acoustic guitar, with snapping fingers, cowbells, a hint of synth and handclaps thrown in. It's very simple, and very pretty, whether trying out catchy pop or traditional-sounding folk. Only a few songs, like the clunky "Lonely Lonely," fail to be captivating.

Leslie Feist moves out of the shadow of the other bands and artists she's worked with, and establishes herself with the beautiful "Let It Die." A rare and good type of pop.

This girl is pure soul. I listen to this cd over and over again and never get tired of it!

Leslie Feist has this spellbinding ability to carry you through her dreams ("Mushaboom"), her past (the tribal folk-influenced "When I Was a Young Girl"), and her solitude ("Lonely Lonely"). Her voice is ever-quietly powerful, as are her lyrics, and rich with vibrato. "Let It Die" blends the folk with the jazz, the rustic with the urban, and the meditative with the fun-loving. Her rendition of "Inside and Out" is, dare I say, more funk-filled than the Bee Gee's and her other covers, which include "Secret Heart" and "Tout Doucement" are so zestful and fresh that they, too, arguably blow the originals out of the water. The essential cocktails-in-the-backyard summer album!

Simply remarcable, the best record i have heard in many years.

i can't wait to listen her second album and espectacular voice.

More than anything, I absolutely fell in love with her slightly naive, young woman's, voice. Sexy, or what! I'd love to see and hear more from her. How about the Tonight Show for more, well deserved exposure, Leslie? Come on, Jay, this lady is in a class of her own.

If you like good songwriting and rich, expressive, purposefully understated vocals--then check out this CD.

Between this remarkable CD and Eddy Moran's glorious 'Girl Called Eddy' we are NOW seeing the same kind of amazing female singer-songwriter renaissance that happened 30+ years ago that gave us Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell.

'Let it Die' sets a high benchmark for all the new singer-songwriters. Leslie Feist and crew give us a dramatic and much needed dose of music that is thought-provoking, hip-shaking, heart healing and fun.

The last time I was this stunned over the work of a new female singer-songwriter is when I first heard Kate Bush, Tori Amos and Rickie Lee Jones. Feist is as much a musical chameleon as Beck and seems to have as many influences as he does, which make for an incredible debut CD.

But it's her voice that compels, a voice that is almost impossible to describe -- it's a breathy but surprisingly strong soprano that can recall anyone from Billie Holiday to Dusty Springfield, from the abovementioned Jones to '80s pop goddesses Sade and Tracey Thorne, from the delicacy of '50s folksinger Shelby Flint to the spaciness of Jane Siberry or Liz Fraser. And yet her style is entirely her own, and her songwriting and cover choices on this recording are impeccable, including terrific versions of wonderful songs by Ron Sexsmith and Francoise Hardy (yes, Feist does oh-so-trendy chansons beautifully, too).

But probably the biggest surprise here is a fabulous, balls-out cover of the BeeGees' '70s disco hit "Inside Out." I first listened to it with my mouth hanging open, amazed that someone could be so audacious and, well, unself-conscious enough to take such a thoroughly naff song and reinvent it as an unflinching, soulfully neurotic paean to obsession.

If there's any justice in this world, Feist will be huge -- like Ray LaMontagne, she's a singular artist who seems to have sprung, whole and fearsomely gifted, out of thin air. Buy this CD!

This is a great album. I believe it's one of Feist's firsts to. I has always compared her voice to taking a hot bathe without the water. She has such harmony and this album is full of songs and lyrics that complement her voice. Also the service through Amazon was wonderful as well. I received the album a week before the estimated delivery date! It was a wonderful surprise waiting in my mailbox for me. Feist is my favorite artist, and I think if you give her a chance. She could be yours to. Must Buy!

I loved this Feist. I always listened to their hit Mushaboom, but really didn't have a clue it was their work (a masterpiece indeed). The CD works for romancing too.