After several EPs, Londoner Nilüfer Yanya finally presents her first full-length album with Miss Universe. This passionate guitarist offers indie pop music with elements of rock influenced by the 1990s and soul. Nilüfer suggests a concept album (at least in good part) as she promotes a fake self-care program called “WWAY Health”. In the second half, the record takes a little jazzier tint, even if all compositions are based primarily on electric guitar. Nilüfer offers us mostly soft and introspective music, but always with a great wealth of styles and creativity.

Music Videos: « Heavyweight Champion of the Year » - « In Your Head » - « Bay Blu »

Here is already the eighth studio album by this band from Brooklyn, NY formed 20 years ago. The National are once again proposing their unique soft alternative rock sound with country and indie pop influences. They manage to create a very pleasant warm atmosphere that can recall brit pop music or U2. The album was born following a movie project with filmmaker Mike Mills, a 25-minute short film about the emotional duration of a woman's life, from birth to death. Even though the record was produced separately, it is completely inspired by it. The band has no limits on I Am Easy to Find with majestic orchestrations and female singers among the most beautiful voices: Lisa Hannigan, Sharon Van Etten, Mina Tindle, Gail Ann Dorsey, Eve Owen, Kate Stables, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The 16-track album spans 64 minutes and has everything to please until the end. There are only a few moments when the band tries to do too much, on less successful compositions. But overall, I Am Easy to Find remains a very nice album that will certainly be one of the most remarkable for The National.

Music Video: « Hairpin Turns »

Forest Boys is a side project by two members of The Seasons, including Julien Chiasson, the big brother of Hubert Lenoir. The band presents a six-song EP that focuses on catchy pop rock melodies, with a good dose of funk. Boys Like Having Fun therefore offers a lively summer sound, which has everything it needs to conquer commercial radios, just like the first single, "Electrify".

Music Video: « Electrify »

Based in Halifax, NS, Leanne Hoffman issues her debut album with What Remains. The singer-songwriter offers a pop rock sound with effective beats and unforgettable melodies. Produced by Erin Costelo, the album seems to pay tribute to both contemporary artists (Metric) and the greatest songwriters and melodists (Randy Newman, Paul Simon). Despite effective guitars, it is the voice of Leanne who remains at the heart of her work, with discreet keyboards accompaniments. Here is an album that is very pleasant to listen to, demonstrating all the talent of the artist for composition.

In 2018, Norah Jones undertook to release a series of singles in digital format, with the collaboration of Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and Thomas Bartlett. The seven tracks included on Begin Again (with only one never heard) come from this project, making it not only a short album, but also rather disparate. Despite the great difference of styles between songs, Norah manages to create some coherence thanks to her unique voice and her characteristic piano playing. She certainly gives a charming touch to the whole for which the expectations were not so high. But Begin Again is above all an assembly without too many links of experimentation jazz pop, sprinkled with folk, soul and even electro.

With his sophomore album, Canadian Tim Moxam again presents his mix of folk pop, country and rock, with still beautiful melodies. Powered by the first single, "Rich Man", Marlborough Hall once again includes frankly catchy choruses that literally draw us to his unique voice. The album also offers more hypnotic moments, even annoying, as it is the case in the syrupy "All I Feel" thanks to a background of ambient music on saxophone and synthesizer. Fortunately, this song which is likely to divide his audience is followed by "Honesty" which proposes a constant progression, from a simple waltz until its vocal apogee worthy of a concert final. There are therefore some very interesting moments on Marlborough Hall, but it is the consistency that is unfortunately lacking.

For the past twenty years, Toronto's John Southworth has been offering his unique style of folk rock with a touch of jazz and sometimes pop. With Miracle in the Night, he presents his 12th career album. Once again, he seems to have his own recipe for love songs that we have not heard often. Some will recognize elements that made the success of his must-hear Niagara album in 2014. His folk style takes a strong pop-chamber vibe on Miracle in the Night, with still jazzy elements of great interest. He whispers and croons often, but that is what characterizes him. Southworth certainly does not offer an easily accessible album, but still knows how to be very creative.

Toronto guitarist Julian Taylor, rich of his Mohawk and African background, presents a perfect mixed sound. So, we find on Avalanche a unique mix of rock, R&B, funk and even reggae. At age 40, the artist who has explored every nook and cranny of the music industry seems to be finding a new creativity lost a long time ago, while performing covers in Toronto bars. Taylor offers a short eight-track album totaling 33 minutes, but the strength of it is impressive. In fact, it is the weaknesses that are virtually nonexistent on this varied, entertaining and pleasant album to listen to the end. A great surprise!

The Stroppies is an Australian band presenting their debut album. They offer an indie rock sound with beautiful pop melodies. Previously, they had recorded some lo-fi songs, but they decided to go into the big studio, for better sound quality. Their music is usually up-tempo and has contagious energy and effective riffs. At times, they can be compared to Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, another Melbourne band. Not only will the Stroppies follow in their footsteps, but they could very well go even further thanks to this incomparable creative ability. (April 2019 Featured New Artist)

Music Videos: « Cellophane Car » - « Nothing at All » - « Entropy »

One of the three members of the Good Lovelies, Ontarian Kerri Ough presents her first solo album with One Day Soon. She offers folk music based mainly on her voice and acoustic guitar. Kerri offers us personal songs that she whispers in our ear, as if she confided. We still find some moments a little more pop, including the very effective "How is This Going to End", punctuated by snaps of fingers and tongues. There are only nine tracks totaling 35 minutes, but Kerri manages to hold us captive until the end. A very nice record for fans of a sound that is stripped to the extreme! (April 2019)

On this collection of 38 tracks, we can hear all the greatest hits of Tom Petty during his 40-year career, between 1976 and 2016. We can hear of course the Heartbreakers, but also his solo hits, as well as Mudcrutch. The songs are not presented in chronological order, but rather according to a list highlighting all the eras. The last song of the compilation is autobiographical and unreleased, "For Real". All the original recordings were digitally remastered by Chris Bellman, to put Tom Petty's work up to date. The Best of Everything is definitely the most complete and successful collection so far for Tom Petty. Everything is here! (April 2019)

Sheila Soares comes straight from Toronto with a first album of original songs. The singer-songwriter (and former teacher) offers soft jazz incorporating elements of soul, blues and folk. She can be compared to Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Alison Krauss. The short record of seven tracks totaling less than 26 minutes was produced by Eric St-Laurent, who also plays guitar. St-Laurent beautifully accompanies Sheila with the help of keyboardist Jeff McLeod and a solid rhythm section formed of Jordan O'Connor (bass) and Chris Wallace (drums). All There Is contains haunting music that quickly reaches us thanks to the beautiful voice of the artist. The main flaw of the album is that it is frankly incomplete (almost an EP finally). (March 2019 Featured New Artist)

Shine a Light is the 14th album in career for Canadian Bryan Adams. He takes the various elements that have been the recipe for his success in the past with an excellent mix of rock 'n' roll, rhythm 'n' blues and pop, with a few ballads through. We can hear several frankly catchy songs ("All or Nothing", "No Time For Love"). But what strikes quickly from the first moments with the title track and "That's How Strong Our Love Is" is the quality of the production. This is a solid album that Bryan Adams offers us with Shine a Light, more than just an excuse to go on tour. (March 2019)

The singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Brunswick releases a new album of energetic blues rock, the 10th of his career. He has already accumulated more than 120,000 plays on Spotify with the singles "Free Man" and "Quarter on the Ground (A Song for Uncle Joe)". We can also hear on the album a great duet with Amy Helm for the song "Something to Lose", beautifully enriched by brass. Recorded in Nashville, Halfway Home by Morning offers moments of soul and folk in addition to his characteristic sound. We discover some very interesting passages on this new album by Matt Andersen. (March 2019)

Newfoundland singer-songwriter Don Brownrigg returns after the critically acclaimed album It Takes All Kinds (To Make This World I Find). On Fireworks, he again offers his poetic folk rock style, with some more pop parts, as in the first single, "Bad Timing". To his nine original compositions, let's note the addition of his very personal cover of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" dating back to 1982. Here is an interesting album for this talented artist. (March 2019)

If Justin Bieber is forever associated with the 2017 monstrous hit "Despacito", it is Luis Fonsi who is nevertheless behind this song, and Bieber was only a collaborator (with Daddy Yankee) for the English version. The Puerto Rican finally releases an album that includes this global hit in both versions. This is the first album in five years for Luis Fonsi who has 20 years of career and eight albums. He offers a Latin pop sound, with some particularly effective rhythms, but also contemporary ballads. "Despacito" is not the only hit that can be heard on Vida since we also find "Imposible" (with Ozuna) and "Calypso" (with Stefflon Don, in addition to a version with Karol G). But above all, the most interesting and exciting moment of the album is the inevitable "Échame la Culpa" (with Demi Lovato). With Vida, Fonsi presents several great hits and some good moments, but also ballads or mid-tempo pieces that are less captivating, for an unequal album. And if in addition you have already heard too much "Despacito", you will again have to pass through it twice rather than once. (March 2019)

Music Videos: « Despacito » - « Échame la Culpa » - « Calypso » - « Imposible » - « Sola »

This is an audacious project for bassist Steve Haines. Along with singer Becca Stevens, soprano saxophonist Chad Eby, pianist Joey Calderazzo, and a symphony orchestra conducted by Kevin Geraldi, it includes classics by major Canadian songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Kim Mitchell. You can also hear original pieces written by Haines and Becca. We can even hear Chopin! In fact, Haines and his orchestra offer a perfect mix of jazz and folk, of classical and Celtic music, for a magnificent album of great elegance. The album culminates with Cohen's excellent "Hallelujah", even though it's an umpteenth remake of this almost too much-heard classic. (March 2019)

Harorah went to the quarterfinals at the fifth edition of La Voix (in Quebec) in 2017. The Montreal singer-songwriter introduces her first five-song EP, produced by Alexandre Lapointe (The Brooks). She offers a pop rock sound with strong soul influences, Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone in mind. Hanorah offers several themes that are important to her, including great moments of optimism, but also the traumatic story of the sexual assault that she experienced in 2012. She presents solid music on this first release that only makes us hope for more material from her. (March 2019)

After six years of absence due to illness, Ontarian Avril Lavigne is back on record. This fight is greatly reflected in the songs offered on Head Above Water. She presents a set of mid-tempo pieces, which have nothing to do with her early pop punk sound. Rather, it is adult pop rock music that will struggle to win back the young audience lost a long time ago. The colossal production remains of great quality with beautiful arrangements of strings to accompany her powerful choruses. Avril is still coming out of this syrupy environment on a few occasions, including the entertaining "Dumb Blonde" (featuring Nicki Minaj). The set presents good moments, but it will certainly not be among the greatest of her career. (March 2019)

The Canadian female duo, made up of multi-instrumentalists Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac, returns with their seventh studio album. Madison Violet offer again their folk pop sound with impeccable vocal harmonies. The orchestral arrangements are lush and enrich very beautifully the music of the two artists. This is a mesmerizing album that quickly captivates us and makes us want to see them performing on stage, where Brenley and Lisa are at their best. (March 2019)

Weezer's Black Album was already in the plans in 2016, right after the release of the White Album. Here it is, finally, only a few weeks after an album of covers (The Teal Album). On this new record tending to be rather dark, Rivers Cuomo is more than ever allowed to swear and sing profanities. Musically, however, we find light pop music with effective rhythms and unforgettable melodies. This results in an album much sunnier than announced, with only 10 songs, but all very interesting. Another very good record by Weezer! (March 2019)

During their tour in 2018, Weezer began incorporating a few covers into their concerts such as A-Ha’s "Take On Me" or The Turtles’ "Happy Together". They then wanted to record a cover album and here is their umpteenth eponymous album, subtitled this time "The Teal Album". It preceded by just a few weeks their new eponymous release, "The Black Album". In addition to the previously mentioned songs, there are eight other hits: Toto's "Africa", Tears For Fears’ "Everybody Wants To Rule the World", Eurythmics’ "Sweet Dreams", Black Sabbath’s "Paranoid", ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky", TLC's surprising "No Scrubs", Michael Jackson’s "Billie Jean" and Ben E. King’s "Stand By Me". It's always nice to hear great hits from the past, and the Weezer guys seem to enjoy playing them. However, many of the offered versions are not so different from the original ones. We would have liked them to be a little more creative, as they did for example with "No Scrubs" from TLC. Two or three more songs would also have been much appreciated. (March 2019)

The American singer-songwriter presents her first full-length album with Heard It in a Past Life. After explorations with folk tendencies, Maggie Rogers has been attracted to electronic music, that had always interested her, and she takes a much poppier direction on this first record. You can hear a good mix of pop, rock and electro, with catchy melodies and fast pounding rhythms. We can still hear some folk influences, sprinkled here and there. We can especially discover a good mix of her favorite styles in the first hit, "Alaska". Here is an excellent debut album for Maggie Rogers who demonstrates the extent of her talent. (February 2019 Featured New Artist)

Music Videos: « Alaska » - « Light On »

The alternative French-British singer returns with her third album. Lou Doillon had a desire to talk to herself as the title says, but fortunately she decided to share these 12 songs. The singer-songwriter presents pieces of great sensuality, even sexual on occasion. We recognize the artist, but we rediscover her as she always has the desire to challenge herself, to think outside the box. For example, to prepare this album, she recorded a series of minimalist demos with only a guitar and drums, in line with the White Stripes and Black Keys. In the end, the arrangements were added, often in a discreet but largely successful way. The guitars are often creaky, and her voice is stronger than ever. Lou seems to have total confidence in herself, at 36 years old. The result is an album of great creativity for this incomparable artist. (February 2019)

For her third album, Jessica Pratt admits that for the first time she approached writing with the idea in mind of a cohesion throughout the album. Quiet Signs is also her first recording in a professional studio, taking her out of her bedroom where she recorded On Your Own Love Again four years ago. Her high-pitched voice is still accompanied by a soft guitar, but there are also delicate arrangements of flute, synthesizer, organ and piano that enrich her minimalist music. The result is a record closer to chamber pop than folk. This is the first single, "This Time Around", which stands out the most, while the entire record follows an excellent guideline, until its fall with the beautiful conclusion of "Aeroplane". The nine-track album may last only 28 minutes, but it quickly takes us into its captivating world. Result: we want to play it again in loops. (February 2019)

The American pop punk band is already celebrating its 20 years of existence this year and for the occasion, a collection of all its greatest hits and best songs is offered to us. There are 19 tracks from each of their seven albums, as well as two new songs, "All Ready to Go" and "A Song For Dan". Everything is presented in chronological order and totals more than 78 minutes. You can rediscover the first hits ("Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)", "You're So Last Summer"), as well as newer tracks ("Flicker, Fade", "Tidal Wave"). Twenty offers a very good overview of the first 20 years of Taking Back Sunday. (February 2019)

On November 10, 2017, as part of her Be Myself tour, Sheryl Crow performed for the first time in the historic Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York. It was the last concert of the tour and there seemed to be some magic in the air, something electric in this mythical venue. We can discover this unforgettable performance on this blu-ray which is also accompanied by 2 CDs. Sheryl sings all her greatest hits, from the very first ("Leaving Las Vegas") to excerpts from her latest album ("Halfway There", "Atom Bomb" and the title track). You can hear the inevitable "All I Wanna Do", "Everyday is a Winding Road", "If It Makes You Happy", "The First Cut is the Deepest", "A Change Would Do You Good", "Soak Up the Sun", "My Favorite Mistake", and many more. The concert was captured with 16 cameras and the sound was mixed in 5.1 surround sound for optimal reproduction of the live concert. You can also hear interview tips with Sheryl between some songs. Here is a high-quality concert recording. (February 2019)

Mike Boguski is best known as a keyboardist for Blue Rodeo since 2008. He presents his new solo album, Blues for the Penitent, a 12-piece instrumental CD that he performs alone on the piano. Highly improvised, the album offers a mix of jazz and avant-garde music. Several tracks are highly emotional, such as "Madawaska Moonlight", "Eva" and "Memorial". It also includes songs by Townes Van Zandt ("To Live is to Fly") and Neil Young ("On the Beach"). (January 2019)

The Los Angeles band is already releasing its sixth album in 10 years with Feral Roots, the first since 2016. Rival Sons offers a mix of alternative rock and rock 'n' roll, with both metal and blues inspirations. The first hit, "Do Your Worst", is for example a hybrid between Led Zeppelin and the Black Keys. We can also compare them to Wolfmother, Jet and even the Black Crowes on several occasions. The main difference about Feral Roots lies in the fact that the band seems to have finally managed to clearly define its own style. It is therefore an excellent rock 'n' roll record, sufficiently varied and inspired to allow us to appreciate it as a whole. Fans of the first single should not be disappointed, especially since it is certainly the best Rival Sons album to date. (January 2019)

Music Video: « Do Your Worst »

With her first album in five years, Sharon Van Etten comes to find us in the depths of our soul with slow and heavy music. It is in fact a sound that we feel above all, which pierces us. Producer John Congleton's arrangements are powerful, as well as bringing some energy to the whole. It's kind of a mix between Portishead and Nick Cave, with New York punk / new wave influences. Sharon pretty much leaves aside the guitar on Remind Me Tomorrow, making more room for keyboards and percussion. Nevertheless, the amplifiers remain exploited to their maximum on some occasions. Even though each song presents itself as a separate story, Sharon succeeds in establishing a good guideline, for an album of great cohesion. Very effective! (January 2019)