Customer Reviews

If Your Memory Serves You Well

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

 

 

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.

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 That's an out-of-date word, and not one I've often used.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.

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.

Serena Ryder has an absolutely amazing voice. Her live performances are tremendous and she gains more fans with every show. Her choice of material for this release is a bit odd, and - in the hands of a lesser talent - would be totally forgettable, but she is able to pull it off with her voice, a very tight (esp. Kevin Breit) supporting cast and good production.

I think Serena Ryder is a tremendous talent. I plan to buy more of her cd's.

I discovered this artist and album a few months ago.

By searching for a song from HAIR i listend to the cover that Serena Rider made from 'goodmornig starshine'. Her voice is amazing. On this album you can discover her vocal talent with different kind of songs from pop cover to ballads. This music can help you chase the daily stress.

I came across her music video by accident but was really taken with her voice so I checked out her website. Her demo songs prompted me to buy this album and I am very happy with it and very much like most of the songs. I think we will hear more about her in the future.

I loved this album and have been playing it repeatedly since I bought it. Serena has a fabulous voice and intepretes what are mostly covers on this album superbly. These are obviously songs that mean a great deal to her and were probably in her parents record collection when she was growing up. This album will grab you. Exceeded expections.

I was let down when half way throught this cd she launches into old tired broadway tuney kind of music. It sounded like a recital of 'all the songs I know'. What a let down.