My Thoughts
This is the follow-up to her massively successful Adam's Rib album from 1999. Its also her fourth studio effort, even though her first two were not that well received by both critics and fans. Adam's Rib was an amazingly raw and powerful album. Even now, I can pop it in and it still sounds fresh and original. My copy is so worn that I'm surprised it even plays. I was in pain waiting for something new from her. Four years I had to wait. And when the first single from this album was released early this year, I was ecstatic. "Still Desire You" was a slight departure from what we last heard, but it still had the same feel as the old stuff.
When I picked up the album, I needed to listen to it several times before I could pinpoint what had changed. And it had changed. The same brilliantly talented vocalist was there, the same message was there, so the writer was the same. However, the music was slightly different. On Adam's Rib, you had a lot of fiddles and hard guitars, mixing with pianos to create an original and intriguing sound. This time around, the fiddles seem to be missing. Instead, the pop sounds have taken over. It is a more polished sound, which takes away from her natural talent.
I was slightly dissapointed in this effort, but after some careful consideration, I do enjoy it. She has changed her look, but still looks as incredibly beautiful as ever, and changed her sound. It may have lost the edge that made Adam's Rib a pure Canadian classic, but You Are What You Love is still worth listening to. Its getting a 3 and a half, and would have gottne better if there had been more fiddles. Here's hopin for next time.
