Customer Reviews

Red Bird

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heather Nova emanated a sexy, dark vibe in her first albums, "Oyster" and "Siren," with angry-sexy lyrics and sensuous guitar-driven pop music. It was unique, driven and strong musically.

After that, surprisingly, her music seemed to lose some of its edge -- it was still good, just not as intense. Now, in her first album after her daughter's birth, Nova returns some of that intensity to her music, albeit in a slightly more mellow, meditative manner.

Things open on a strong note with the driving guitar of "Welcome," which blossoms into a swirling rock song full of sensuous riffs and Nova's strong voice. "And there's so much I can do for you/Given time I know that I can prove/Now my world is offered up to you/Come inside..." she calls out, sounding more powerful than ever.

That sound doesn't continue, though. The next song, a tribute to Amelia Earhart, is an enchantingly soft ballad that is complete lament, one of the loveliest songs that Nova has ever done. "Motherland" seems to be a song to her child, both marveling at her and promising to protect her.

Then a bit of Nova's earlier sound returns, with slow-burning sultriness. She sings of redbirds, oceans, veiled erotic allusions about tasting pomegranates, a lover who makes her cry with his beautiful face, and a darkly beautiful cover of Chris Isaac's "Wicked."

She finishes up the album with a pair of more uplifting songs -- one which yearns for love, and refers to her body as "sacred ground/Waiting here to be found." The outro is a sweet ballad that assures "darling" of love, comfort, and that "Remember/The sun will always rise/And bring the light..." It sounds corny, but it is rather uplifting.

In a word, "Redbird" straddles the line between the the more sensuous tunes of her early career, and the more mellow, relaxed sound in recent years. It's not surprising -- Nova has grown and matured, and reflects in one love song that "This body has traveled onThis body is fine and strong/This body has given life...."

If Nova seems to be balanced out between sensuality and maturity, then so is her songwriting -- for every sexy rocker, there's a loving ballad that assures love and comfort. She seems to be balancing out Nova the nurterer with Nova the woman, and it works surprisingly well.

There are a few dud songs, such as "A Way to Live," which suffers from rather simplistic lyrics, and a vocal style that makes Nova sound a bit shrill. However, more often than not, the richness of her vocals and the smooth instrumentation make these songs shine. While the acoustic guitar as the center of things, Nova also depends on trembling organ melodies and tinkling piano.

Heather Nova has grown up, and so has her music. "Red Bird" is one of her mellower albums, but has regained the sensuality and edge of her early work. This bird flies.

I started listening to Heather Nova 6 years ago when a friend introduced me to a few tracks off of Siren on a tape; I didn't think much of her at first until I started humming Winterblue, so I requested a taped version of Siren.

I went out and bought it after wearing the tape out. Since then, I've collected as much of Nova's stuff as I could, ending up with Glow Stars, Oyster, Live From the Milky Way, Siren, South, Storm, and now Redbird.

Redbird follows the same path as her last two albums; she's growing, she's changing, and you can hear it in the music. Each album is incredibly different; Glow Stars is experimental while Oyster is angsty and haunty. Siren and South were her more mainstream albums, and Siren is considered by many fans to be her best work. Storm split from the pressures of her record label to conform to popular standards and addressed a more melodic tone. Redbird, in itself, though sounding like a combination of previous efforts rolled into one, does it's own thing.

Redbird has become one of my favorite albums by her mainly because it's so interesting, bare, and she seems very happy just to be doing it; the lyrics have improved and so has her voice.

I believe she'll continue to change over the years and her records will show that. Go Heather.

I came across this album on a transatlantic flight where the rest of the audio program didn't seem too great so I thought, give this one a try (I remembered the name Heather Nova from one of my daughter's birthday wish list - which I guess dates me - but had never consciously listened to her). I wound up listening to "Redbird" for five hours, again and again. Back in Europe I bought the CD (too bad it's available in the US as an expensive import only) and have become completely entranced by it. Unlike so many other popular albums that you can listen to a dozen times with pleasure and then get bored by, this one gets better and better. Every time I put it on I discover something new, some nuance or phrase that just grabs me. "I Miss My Sky" and "The Sun Will Always Rise" are my favorite tracks. This is magic, a true work of art. Thanks, Heather. Thanks, Lufthansa. Thanks, daughter.

A long lost sweetheart introduced me to the pleasures of Heather Nova's music, after which I have made certain to own copies of all of her releases, studio and concert albums.

Each of her cd's are unique testaments to Heather's incredible writing skills and wonderful talents as a vocalist. Though my favorite song is "SPIRIT IN YOU" from her GLOW STARS cd, my favorite album is probably a toss-up between SIREN and STORM. However, after one listen to REDBIRD, I just might have a new favorite album. Heather Nova releases her new album after giving birth to her first child. Her maternal experience offers a significant muse in her style, her perspectives and her arrangements throughout REDBIRD. A must-have for any and all music fans.

Not as intriguing as SIREN, not quite as melodic as STORM, REDBIRD is truly equally sensitive and intellectual from track to track. Not nearly as inventive as GLOW STARS, nor quite the evocation of OYSTER, REDBIRD is truly emotive and beautiful throughout.

Maybe not quite as fun and sexy as SOUTH, Heather Nova blends all of the finest elements of her previous recordings into one truly brilliant work of art, that rouses the spirit in me and beckons for heavy rotation in my extensive cd collection.

From her honorific to Emilia Airheart ("MISS THE SKY") and her incredible cover of Chris Isaak's haunting hit song "WICKED GAME," Heather balances most (if not all) of her talents that have been on full display in previous albums, into one lovely work of art, as few other artists have ever acheieved before.

While too many talents rise and fall from one album to the next, very few are able to reach the heights of artistic merit and hold on to that pinnacle, from year to year. Heather Nova is one of those masters, which sadly is belied by record sales within the United States.

The most cherished of moments on REDBIRD include Heather's muses of love and loving, through such tender songs as "SINGING THROUGH YOU" and "WAY TO LIVE" (which thus far is my favorite track on this wonderful release.

Heather's diverse styles and talents remind me of Tommy Shaw, whose incredible catalog of songs which have ranged through his early years with STYX, DAMN YANKEES and solo albums, always bring on new surprises in her artistic endeavors, without being phoney and pandering to least common denominator of record selling in the uninspired popular music market.

Whether a long-time fan or newly introduced to the imagination of Heather Nova, one must listen to REDBIRD. After REDBIRD, one will be enthused to purchase all of Heather's previous masterful releases.

"Cheers!" to Heather Nova on another superb album. Thank you for gracing us with spectacular talents. We can only await impatitently for yet another new Heather Nova record, which will undoubtedly be another brilliant work of art.

Heather Nova. This CD, however, did not reel me in as her previous works, notably Oyster and Siren. Yes, she is a new mother and has gotten older (mellower?), yes people change and try new things, blah, blah, blah. This CD, in my humble opinion, just lacks umph and is quite boring. I hate to say that because some songs are for her child (I think), but that isn't a reason to give a CD more stars than it deserves.

I am and will always be a huge fan of Heather, but this effort just didn't do it for me.

Heather Nova emanated a sexy, dark vibe in her first albums, "Oyster" and "Siren," with angry-sexy lyrics and sensuous guitar-driven pop music. It was unique, driven and strong musically.

After that, surprisingly, her music seemed to lose some of its edge -- it was still good, just not as intense. Now, in her first album after her daughter's birth, Nova returns some of that intensity to her music, albeit in a slightly more mellow, meditative manner.

Things open on a strong note with the driving guitar of "Welcome," which blossoms into a swirling rock song full of sensuous riffs and Nova's strong voice. "And there's so much I can do for you/Given time I know that I can prove/Now my world is offered up to you/Come inside..." she calls out, sounding more powerful than ever.

That sound doesn't continue, though. The next song, a tribute to Amelia Earhart, is an enchantingly soft ballad that is complete lament, one of the loveliest songs that Nova has ever done. "Motherland" seems to be a song to her child, both marveling at her and promising to protect her.

Then a bit of Nova's earlier sound returns, with slow-burning sultriness. She sings of redbirds, oceans, veiled erotic allusions about tasting pomegranates, a lover who makes her cry with his beautiful face, and a darkly beautiful cover of Chris Isaac's "Wicked."

She finishes up the album with a pair of more uplifting songs -- one which yearns for love, and refers to her body as "sacred ground/Waiting here to be found." The outro is a sweet ballad that assures "darling" of love, comfort, and that "Remember/The sun will always rise/And bring the light..." It sounds corny, but it is rather uplifting.

In a word, "Redbird" straddles the line between the the more sensuous tunes of her early career, and the more mellow, relaxed sound in recent years. It's not surprising -- Nova has grown and matured, and reflects in one love song that "This body has traveled onThis body is fine and strong/This body has given life...."

If Nova seems to be balanced out between sensuality and maturity, then so is her songwriting -- for every sexy rocker, there's a loving ballad that assures love and comfort. She seems to be balancing out Nova the nurterer with Nova the woman, and it works surprisingly well.

There are a few dud songs, such as "A Way to Live," which suffers from rather simplistic lyrics, and a vocal style that makes Nova sound a bit shrill. However, more often than not, the richness of her vocals and the smooth instrumentation make these songs shine. While the acoustic guitar as the center of things, Nova also depends on trembling organ melodies and tinkling piano.

Heather Nova has grown up, and so has her music. "Red Bird" is one of her mellower albums, but has regained the sensuality and edge of her early work. This bird flies.

I fell in love with the Oyster album of Heather Nova 10 years ago. Then I bought Siren with high expectations and was let down. It was too mellowed down. I still hoped for more from Heather Nova but reviews of her albums implied that those after Siren were even more tame, so I didn't buy them. Finally I gave her most recent album 'Redbird' a chance and I'm so glad I did. I still like Oyster the best due to a few songs I feel to be outright rock masterpieces. However Redbird is solid from start to finish and has 5 or 6 songs that are near the masterpiece level. The energy of the music is back up again and her songwriting is fantastic as ever. That incredibly beautiful voice that is so unique is as great as ever. I'm so happy I have another Heather Nova cd to put in my rotation with Oyster. I enjoy playing this one over and over. Check Heather Nova's music out if you don't know her! P.S. Her cover of Wicked Games is right on, a beautiful, splendid use of her singing talent.

For me until now the best album of my favorite female musician (followed by „Glow Stars", „Siren", „Oyster" and „Wonderlust"). Newly being mother seems to have considerably enlarged the already broad range of feelings of Heather Nova. After the softer and quieter „South" and „Storm", this album joins again the rock music tradition of „Oyster" and „Siren". The songs are very various. There is not one song that really falls off. The album is from beginning to end an ongoing pleasure. My favorite songs are „Welcome" (written together with Dido), „Redbird", „Wicked Game" (written by Chris Isaak), „This Body" and „The Sun Will Always Rise". The songs are sensitive and vulnerable, but at the same time joyful and optimistic. Especially the last song is very comforting and spiritually uplifting. With this album Heather Nova has created a timeless masterpiece.

Heather Nova emanated a sexy, dark vibe in her first albums, "Oyster" and "Siren," with angry-sexy lyrics and sensuous guitar-driven pop music. It was unique, driven and strong musically.

After that, surprisingly, her music seemed to lose some of its edge -- it was still good, just not as intense. Now, in her first album after her daughter's birth, Nova returns some of that intensity to her music, albeit in a slightly more mellow, meditative manner.

Things open on a strong note with the driving guitar of "Welcome," which blossoms into a swirling rock song full of sensuous riffs and Nova's strong voice. "And there's so much I can do for you/Given time I know that I can prove/Now my world is offered up to you/Come inside..." she calls out, sounding more powerful than ever.

That sound doesn't continue, though. The next song, a tribute to Amelia Earhart, is an enchantingly soft ballad that is complete lament, one of the loveliest songs that Nova has ever done. "Motherland" seems to be a song to her child, both marveling at her and promising to protect her.

Then a bit of Nova's earlier sound returns, with slow-burning sultriness. She sings of redbirds, oceans, veiled erotic allusions about tasting pomegranates, a lover who makes her cry with his beautiful face, and a darkly beautiful cover of Chris Isaac's "Wicked."

She finishes up the album with a pair of more uplifting songs -- one which yearns for love, and refers to her body as "sacred ground/Waiting here to be found." The outro is a sweet ballad that assures "darling" of love, comfort, and that "Remember/The sun will always rise/And bring the light..." It sounds corny, but it is rather uplifting.

In a word, "Redbird" straddles the line between the the more sensuous tunes of her early career, and the more mellow, relaxed sound in recent years. It's not surprising -- Nova has grown and matured, and reflects in one love song that "This body has traveled onThis body is fine and strong/This body has given life...."

If Nova seems to be balanced out between sensuality and maturity, then so is her songwriting -- for every sexy rocker, there's a loving ballad that assures love and comfort. She seems to be balancing out Nova the nurterer with Nova the woman, and it works surprisingly well.

There are a few dud songs, such as "A Way to Live," which suffers from rather simplistic lyrics, and a vocal style that makes Nova sound a bit shrill. However, more often than not, the richness of her vocals and the smooth instrumentation make these songs shine. While the acoustic guitar as the center of things, Nova also depends on trembling organ melodies and tinkling piano.

Heather Nova has grown up, and so has her music. "Red Bird" is one of her mellower albums, but has regained the sensuality and edge of her early work. This bird flies.

Heather Nova emanated a sexy, dark vibe in her first albums, "Oyster" and "Siren," with angry-sexy lyrics and sensuous guitar-driven pop music. It was unique, driven and strong musically.

After that, surprisingly, her music seemed to lose some of its edge -- it was still good, just not as intense. Now, in her first album after her daughter's birth, Nova returns some of that intensity to her music, albeit in a slightly more mellow, meditative manner.

Things open on a strong note with the driving guitar of "Welcome," which blossoms into a swirling rock song full of sensuous riffs and Nova's strong voice. "And there's so much I can do for you/Given time I know that I can prove/Now my world is offered up to you/Come inside..." she calls out, sounding more powerful than ever.

That sound doesn't continue, though. The next song, a tribute to Amelia Earhart, is an enchantingly soft ballad that is complete lament, one of the loveliest songs that Nova has ever done. "Motherland" seems to be a song to her child, both marveling at her and promising to protect her.

Then a bit of Nova's earlier sound returns, with slow-burning sultriness. She sings of redbirds, oceans, veiled erotic allusions about tasting pomegranates, a lover who makes her cry with his beautiful face, and a darkly beautiful cover of Chris Isaac's "Wicked."

She finishes up the album with a pair of more uplifting songs -- one which yearns for love, and refers to her body as "sacred ground/Waiting here to be found." The outro is a sweet ballad that assures "darling" of love, comfort, and that "Remember/The sun will always rise/And bring the light..." It sounds corny, but it is rather uplifting.

In a word, "Redbird" straddles the line between the the more sensuous tunes of her early career, and the more mellow, relaxed sound in recent years. It's not surprising -- Nova has grown and matured, and reflects in one love song that "This body has traveled onThis body is fine and strong/This body has given life...."

If Nova seems to be balanced out between sensuality and maturity, then so is her songwriting -- for every sexy rocker, there's a loving ballad that assures love and comfort. She seems to be balancing out Nova the nurterer with Nova the woman, and it works surprisingly well.

There are a few dud songs, such as "A Way to Live," which suffers from rather simplistic lyrics, and a vocal style that makes Nova sound a bit shrill. However, more often than not, the richness of her vocals and the smooth instrumentation make these songs shine. While the acoustic guitar as the center of things, Nova also depends on trembling organ melodies and tinkling piano.

Heather Nova has grown up, and so has her music. "Red Bird" is one of her mellower albums, but has regained the sensuality and edge of her early work. This bird flies.