Customer Reviews

Wonderlust

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heather Nova's ethereal voice strikes again! Even though I'm a huge Heather fan and have all of these songs already (except "I'm on Fire" -- more on that later), each time she sings them live, it is a different experience. For example, the song "Sugar" appears on the studio release, _Oyster_, and on a couple of live albums. One rendition is very angry, but the version on this album seems so mature, almost like she's come to terms with whatever experience triggered her to write the song in the first place. It remains one of my favorite songs, and the mood I happen to be in determines which version I listen to. Finally, Heather's cover of "I'm on Fire" is so beautiful; I could listen to it over and over for hours... *sigh* I can't say enough good things about this album. Buy it now!!

No matter how many times Dawson's Creek play Heather Nova, she will always remain underrated. David Gray had to wait ten years before he was noticed by the masses. I wonder how long it is to go until Heather fever catches on? But throughout the span of this talented lady's career one thing remains true, she is as good as they come. Now lets talk about "she" for a moment. Heather Nova is an opera singer, mixed with Joni Mitchell, Springsteen and a dash of Dylan. Her albums are rock (despite the ventures into the over crowded pop world). When listening to Sugar you just hope that Limp Bizkit never get their hands on it, but then London Rain is so quintessentially Heather Nova, so much like Mitchell you wonder which genre fits her best. Both songs are a testament to all things perfect, by the way.

For me great live acts are those who add difference to the songs we love ever so much. Counting Crows do it every single concert, and Dave Matthews Band, well they almost create new intsrumental pieces on the basis of improvisation. Wonderlust in that sense is a disappointment, as alternative lyrics and altered musical notes are few and far between. But hearing Nova hit some of those notes you thought were humanly impossible of achieving is almost like being at Heaven's gates. She just has the greatest voice imaginable (she should hook up with Jewel for a joint tour!).

What about her back up? Well the musicians here, especially Bastien Juels's seductive bass guitar playing, understand Nova's songs just as well as she does, allowing each song to gather an organic growth (that's what bands are all about). This performance is a collection of her best songs (highlights include Island and Truth and Bone) but the best was saved till last. "now I'm gonna mess with someone else's song". Well hearing Springsteen's ghostly I'm On Fire through the vocal chords of Heather Nova sure does beat hearing Travis cover Spears' Baby One More Time (sorry lads,but it's the truth).

The only bad thing I can mention about this show is that I wasn't there! Or any of the other many, many she put on throughout Europe and the US. Taking into consideration the reserved manor of the songs performed, I would still recommend it in flash.

Excellent live album of the excellent musician. In her intensity, her sensitivity and her joy in making experiments Heather Nova actually is only comparable with Lou Reed. She likes equally letting every song sound new again and again, which makes a live album especially interesting. Contains all of my favorite songs of the both of her first studio albums „Oyster" and „Siren". The final song is a mind-blowing version of „I'm On Fire" (by Bruce Springsteen). After my valuation of „Oyster" and „Siren", at least twelve stars should be adequate here.

While we are all waiting for Heather's new studio album, she gives us another live cd, and it's a great one! I have heard all the songs live once before, but they have all some little differences. As usuall, Heather's best live songs (Island & Sugar) are featured, and a beautifull version of Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire. What a great voice has this woman!!

On her first live album, Blow, Heather Nova threw caution to the wind, radically rearranged many of her songs from Glow Stars, jacked up the energy level, and came up with her best album. Wonderlust, unfortunately, plays it too safe and is a bit flat as a result.

On her lengthy tour beginning in 1998 (I saw it once in Toronto and twice in New York) the more mellow, reserved nature of the songs from Siren really showed. But witnessing the chemistry between Nova and her band, and Nova's onstage charisma, made up for the somewhat unsurprising, rarely changing setlist. On record, however, the experience gets lost, and though her songs remain engaging and melodic, there isn't much here that you won't get from the original studio recordings. And the work of Nova's guitar goddess Berit Fridahl (whose fiery lead lines add much to Nova's live performances) and compelling bassist Bastien Juel (who sings great background vocals) are buried in the mix, cleaned up and turned down, without the directness that their live performances commanded.

Wonderlust is worth getting if you haven't been to Nova's shows and want to get an impression of her concert persona. But it isn't the mind-blowing experience that was the Blow album, even though it retains its own brand of low-key charm. Given a choice, go see Nova in a live setting instead. This album is no substitute.

After being introduced to the studio albums 'Siren' and 'Oyster' I decided to give 'Wonderlust' a go. Normally, I am a bit wary of live albums, as I usually find them a bit flat, and not as spirited as studio albums, lacking in enthusiasm and energy. However, this album was a pleasant surprise.'Winter Blue' is one of my all time favourites, so I could not have disliked it, it still held out as a powerful song, it's composition heart sung, with strong instrumentation and a descant backing up the chorus...gorgeous. I prefer the live rendition of 'Paper Cup' to the studio one, somehow it is more deep and catchy. 'London Rain' is pretty much the same to the studio version coming out of the same vein. 'Doubled Up', another beautiful ballard is somewhat disappointing, as though Heather Nova is not giving it her best it is lacking in feeling. 'Heal' is striking, particularly the instrumental arrangement in the chorus and bridge along with her wailing voice, full of lament, there is something simple but very striking about the line ''and the sea glistens ''. 'Heart and Shoulder' is full of heart-felt pity, and 'Walk With Me' command and force to the urgency and alarm of 'Island', not lacking in strength. All in all, a good compilation of songs from 'Oyster' and 'Siren' with the exception of a non-Heather Nova hit 'I'm on Fire' which is a bit non-descript.However, on the whole, it is great music to draw anyone into the talent of Heather's great talent and voice.

without a doubt "Wonderlust" has got to be the best live album, bar none, of any artist, i have ever heard.

This woman hits notes and emotes visions that are just impossible to believe.

If you ever get stranded somewhere, but at least have a copy of this album with you...then at least you'll have a little bit of Nirvana with you and you won't regret it...

it's just so irresistable....just take this from "Make you mine"...

"... you're the one i think about, time after time, you're the one that comes to me, visions in the night. I wanna complicate your feelings, i wanna heat you up inside, yeah, yeah, I wanna make you mine.... "

and so beautiful....lines from "paper cup" - "wishful....thinking i might be yours...."

and it just goes on and on...

... do yourself a favor... and buy this album... you'll never regret it.

perry

Although Heather's studio albums each contain gems that are without par, this album remains one of the ones that captures the essence of Heather - she seems to puts her entire being into a live performance.

Most live performances often leave me missing a element or two of the radio edit version - either the vocals don't live up to what you've heard on the radio, and expect to hear during a live performance, or the band's music swamps the lead singers vocals. This album is an exception! The vocals are there. The band is there. The balance is correct. It's perfect. Better than the studio albums! You feel Heather's "presence" and that's all I need to switch into total ecstasy. The "rush" starts with "Island" and then when she sings "Heart and Shoulder" you feel like she truly means every word - if you won't be moved to another plane of nirvana when she drags out the high note on "...worried and confused...". Chills still run up the back of my spine and off the top of my head 8 months later after first hearing of this performance.

The devastation continues with "Paper Cup", during which you can almost envision yourself as the Prince dancing with Cinderella just before the stroke of midnight. The "magic" of that dream can be felt....

and it just goes on and on......

Heather is at her best here. This is not an album you can just listen to as background music. As soon as you flip it on you have to stop what you are doing and just groove with it.

It leaves you there....wrecked on her shores... Heather is without a doubt the proverbial Siren of Greek mythology.

Wow! Yes. Wow! Buy this album or steal it.
.....

There are some fantastic live songs on this album, and although I believe Heather Nova is the finest female singer/songwriter in the world, I felt some of these performances were not as strong as those found on past live albums such as "Blow". That said however, the second half of the album, from 'Not Only Human' onwards, is just amazing. 'I'm The Girl' and 'Sugar' are better here than I have ever heard. I can't get over how stunning Heather sounds live. She is truly gifted.