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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jann amazes, November 24, 2003
Jann mentioned that the recording of this album was accompanied by many "firsts". The first time she was the sole producer, the first time she recorded an album in her basement, and the first time her touring band contributed to the tracks (as opposed to studio musicians). I can think of another couple of "firsts". Jann plays the piano on 3 tracks here and what a treat that turned out to be. "Anna Rebecca", "When You Left Me", and "Fighting for the World" feature Ms. Arden tickling the ivories and all three tunes are stirring and heartfelt. Her vocals are as strong as ever. Another first? I think Jann hits her highest note yet in "Ruby Red", and sustains it until you feel out of breath. This is a great song.Someone mentioned in another review that they felt Jann was drifting in the wrong direction. I think she got back on track with "Love is the Only Soldier". While I really liked "Blood Red Cherry", it will undoubtedly go down in history as Jann's "experimental" album. I don't think Jann is capable of writing a bad song. I've liked everything she's put out so far, and I see no signs of that stopping here. Her humor is intact on songs like "Only One": If I come back
If I find you there
I'm calling on my daddy
And he'll kill you I swear And "If You Loved Me": If you loved me, I would not need my drunken friends
And if you loved me, my loneliness for sure would end. "Anna Rebecca" is a great song about loss. You don't know the details, but you know she's singing about a friendship that crumbled: Remember that December night
Talking ourselves into day
Waving goodbye from the back of a cab
Please remember me that way "When You Left Me" is quite possibly one of her saddest songs: When you left me nothing mattered
All my life undone
Only stillness, only quiet
Not one ray of sun It's an absolutely gorgeous song. Very haunting. Some people can't seem to tolerate sad songs. I don't get depressed by them. I dig them. They mellow me out in some strange way. There's nothing like a sad song to get you to thinking about your own life in an introspective manner. I think they can be very therapeutic. They are for me, in any case. "Fighting for the World" is another great melancholy tune. She sings from the perspective of a family persisitng through the holidays while a loved one is away in the armed services. "Love is the Only Soldier" is the first single and is one of my favorite songs. It doesn't seem an obvious choice for a single, but I love this song. It's a great showcase for her songwriting and vocals, and I think the arrangement is excellent. She really soars on the chorus: Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away There's a lot to like here with this album. I rank it very highly in my Jann Arden collection, which consists of everything she's ever released, even the rare and hard to find stuff, singles, etc. I'm such a big fan, I only wish she had more exposure in the US. I hope to catch her on this tour. I saw her during the symphony tour in Winnipeg and it was a phenomenal show.
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by Jann Arden 
