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).

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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 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)

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)