The latest in a seemingly endless line of talented Canadians to land on W&H's desk, JOANNA CHAPMAN is a cool and feisty performer with a happily different perspective on life and how to live it.
'Contraries' is her second album (her 2007 debut 'Eyre Corvidae' was more of a solo acoustic troubadour affair) and, as the title suggests, it examines the important contradictions of life (right versus wrong, mind versus body, living at home versus living abroad, Man United versus Man City...well, maybe not the latter) with wit, depth and insight.
Although Chapman-Smith is broadly described as a 'folk' performer, she creates an unlikely, but always supple and often exotic melange of sound. Part of the credit for this must lie with her versatile band, The Tryst – Dawn Zoe (accordion, vocals), Justine Fischer ( stand-up bass, vocals) and drummer Wayne Adams – but ultimately it's Chapman-Smith's sassy songs and sophisticated vision which helps 'Contraries' stand out from the pack.
As befits someone who spends her time shuttling between Vancouver and Toronto, not to mention Oceania, opening track 'Urbanity' finds Chapman-Smith caught between a longing for living in exotic climes (“I used to dream of leaving the city...and going to New Zealand and living off the land”) and the reality of what her life has become (“now I'm tied to the city.”) It's apparently entirely autobiographical and all the better for that. The fact that the band supply a surprisingly successful Latino-based backdrop does it no harm either.
Several of the record's other key tunes also tackle the 'contradictory' issues in human thinking and behaviour. The cute and clever 'A Glass of Right & Wrong' examines the temptations launched by alcohol and loosened tongues, while 'Things Are Gonna Go Wrong' not only puts a foxy spin on The Blues, but approaches its' subject from both 'glass half empty' and 'glass half full' standpoints.
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Elsewhere, there are places where it's hard to believe you're listening to a performer hailing from the North American continent. Tracks like the full-blooded 'Tactile World' and the hectic, balalaika-style workout of 'Klezbian Mother' sound like they're drifting in from the Balkans rather than the Rockies, while 'Arbitrary Lanes' has both a Parisian-style sophistication and earthy rootsiness about it.
The only obvious concession to 'Rock' per se comes with the fatalistic 'For Good', where Joanna ponders eternity with the aid of the record's only noticeable electric guitar and a loping 4-4 beat, although there's still room for cello and accordion to ride shotgun. There are a couple of classy, close-miked piano ballads, too, in the shape of 'In The Quiet' and 'Carnival Song', the latter providing a suitably poignant and sombre finale to the proceedings.
OK, there's the occasional less-than essential moment ('Between the Minds' is overtly twee and both 'Dub Mother' and the a capella 'Body Language' can be glossed over), but mostly I'm in anything but two minds over 'Contraries” status as a satisfyingly eclectic listen.
Joanna Chapman-Smith online
Joanna Chapman-Smith Myspace page
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