If Your Memory Serves You Well [Import]

Serena Ryder | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 27, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B000JMK626
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,757 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sisters of Mercy

2. Good Morning Starshine

3. This Wheel's on Fire

4. My Heart Cries for You

5. Some of These Days

6. Quand Les Hommes Vivront d'Amour

7. It Doesn't Matter Anymore

8. (Take Me for a Walk in The ) Morning Dew

9. Boo Hoo

10. Coconut Grove

11. You Were on My Mind

12. Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream

13. Weak in the Knees

14. Out of the Blue

15. Just Another Day

Editorial Reviews

Serena ryder is a 23 year old canadian singer/songwriter set to release her new album "if your memory serves you well". Blessed with a three octave vocal range and the ability to tackle any musical style, serena ryder's folk-rock style has been compared to the likes of janis joplin, patsy cline, aretha franklin and kd lang. The new album is a collection of notable canadian songs from the past 100 years (1867-1967) including leonard cohen's 'sisters of mercy' and the band's 'this wheels on fire' (hence the albums title) and features the single "good morning starshine". The album also features three new tracks written by serena; 'weak in the knees', 'out of the blue' (co-written with randy bachman) and 'just another day'. Serena will be touring australia for the 8th time this november.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ryder Rules!, February 4, 2007

By 

Ralph Quirino (Keswick, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If Your Memory Serves You Well (Audio CD)

An exceptional "covers" type of album where Serena tackles "Canadian" songs in excellent fashion. Her remake of Oliver's 1969 hit "Good Morning Starshine" deserves a 5 out of 5 for sheer guts alone (who else could tackle the nonsense chorus and get away with it without sounding like a complete hack?). Every song is a genuine delight. Especially memorable are "This Wheel's On Fire", "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" and "Quand Les Hommes Vivront d'Amour". The arrangements are tasteful and folky (without eliminating a casual rock feel altogether) while Ms. Ryder's voice sounds heavenly (her joy in singing these hits clearly evident). If you've enjoyed recent albums by Corrine Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse and K.T. Tunstall, then make "If Your Memory Serves You Well" your next purchase.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for What It Was Intended to Be, September 5, 2010

By 

smgsmc - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: If Your Memory Serves You Well (Audio CD)

A word of caution here. Sometimes you fall in love with a singer's current CD and then start buying up her previous CDs. Sometimes you're pleasantly surprised and find material as good or even better and are amazed at her depth (such as discovering Sarah Mclachlan with "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" and then being floored by her earlier "Solace"). Sometimes you're disappointed because the earlier material just lacks maturity or is of an entirely different genre (such as stepping back from the Alanis of "Jagged Little Pill" to Alanis the teen dance pop queen). And some albums intentionally have a different, focussed theme, such as Connie Stevens doing covers of Hank Williams' country and western songs or various singers (Connie Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon ...) doing covers of big-band-era or large orchestra songs.

For the most part, this is not the Serena of "Is It OK", but it was not intended to be. It's a compilation of 12 covers of pop songs by Canadian writers + 3 songs written by Serena. Relative to it's intent, I'll give it 5 stars. If I had to characterize it in one word, I'd say it's "funky". That's an out-of-date word, and not one I've often used. But it's so apropos here. The opening track, "Sisters of Mercy", has a medieval flair to it; I'm mesmerized by it. She brings sincere emotion to classics such as "My Heart Cries for You", "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", and "You Were on My Mind". And she has a lot of fun with the sing-alongs "Good Morning Starshine" and "Boo Hoo".

Two of her original songs ["Out of the Blue" and "Just Another Day"] have a pop feel in keeping with the covers. The third original is an earlier version of "Weak in the Knees". It is more subdued, less emotionally overwrought than the version in "Is it OK". Good to compare the two and realize the rapid progression she's made.

If you're someone who buys a singer's compilation of Christmas songs, and then rips into her "because this is just a bunch of stupid Christmas songs", go away. If you're expecting the hard-edged Serena of "Is it OK", you probably should skip this and save yourself some disappointment. If you want to sample Serena's wide dynamic vocal and emotional range, have a historical interest in Serena, want to follow her growth and development, or just want a fun, quirky, album, for sure get it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars stunning, June 3, 2008

By 

Dana "I love Target!" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: If Your Memory Serves You Well (Audio CD)

I am a huge Serena fan. Half of her fantastic songs are on this CD, and the other half are on Unlikely Emergency. I saw her live in October, and she absolutely struck me speechless. Her voice alone is a beautiful instrument, and she is a beautiful, humble soul.