Veggiechiliqueen's contributions

Share Veggiechiliqueen's profile

Veggiechiliqueen

Veggiechiliqueen's stats

Reviews

Review count
27
Helpfulness votes
12

First review
October 2, 2008
Last review
November 16, 2008
Featured reviews
0
Average rating
4.2

Reviews comments

Review comment count
0
Helpfulness votes
0

First review comment
None
Last review comment
None
Featured review comments
0

Questions

Question count
0
Helpfulness votes
0

First question
None
Last question
None
Featured questions
0

Answers

Answer count
0
Helpfulness votes
0

First answer
None
Last answer
None
Featured answers
0
Best answers
0

Veggiechiliqueen's Reviews

<< 1 2 3

It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook [CD]

Customer Rating

Rod revives WWII-era standards with panache

on October 18, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

On It Had To Be You: The Great American Songbook Vol. 1 by Rod "the Bod" Stewart, Rod lovingly resuscitates WWII-era standards by Gershwin, Kern, Porter, and others in a laid-back ballroom style. Opening with They Can't Take That Away From Me, the strummed guitar, reminiscent of manouche Jazz a la Django, provides a swaggering backing for Rod's playful delivery. The Way You Look Tonight opens with a sparse, nostalgic pianissimo piano solo and sliding into soft snare brushes as Rod croons the lyrics softly. Rod's delivery alternates between a wistful, lovestruck tone on softer, slower songs such as The Nearness of You, For All We Know, and The Nearness of You, or a playful, dashing sort of tossed-off delivery as the lyrics require (You Go To My Head, Moonglow, These Foolish Things). There are jazzier touches such as the blues-inspired intro on Moonglow, or the manouche guitar on For All We Know. Rod's band really shines on providing a retro-sounding backing suitable for candlelit dinners or soft, slow dancing, featuring numerous studio musicians on piano and synth, bass, guitar, and drums and guests Dave Koz on tenor sax, Arturo Sandoval and Chris Botti on trumpet. If I had to sum up the mood, it would be "low-key." This is wonderfully relaxed and free of too-modern arrangements. Rod's voice may have a scratchier edge than true '40s-era crooners such as Sinatra, but he really inhabits the songs with a playfulness and respect that make him utterly believable in the role of crooner. Even if you're not a fan of Rod's earlier recordings, just give It Had To Be You a try; you may just fall madly in love with these songs, as I did. My only disappointment with It Had To Be You was the fact that the subsequent albums never matched the brilliance of the original; As Time Goes By...The Great American Songbook: Volume II, Stardust... The Great American Songbook, Vol. III, and Thanks For The Memory...The Great American Songbook IV featured some lackluster duets with other music celebs and some of the best songs were already covered on this album. After the success of It Had To Be You, practically everybody cashed in on the Songbook hype, including Michael Bolton (Vintage), Cyndi Lauper (At Last), and Carly Simon (Moonlight Serenade). This album will appeal to several generations: the Greatest Generation that lived through WWII and remember these songs firsthand, the Baby Boomers that may have grown up hearing these, and finally, my generation (Gen X), who will probably be hearing many of these classics for the first time. Hats off to Rod for preserving and renewing interest in an important American musical legacy that threatened to be lost to fading memories and the ravages of time.

What's great about it: Wonderful selection of American Songbook standards by Porter, Gershwin, et al.

What's not so great: None

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Bon Cop Bad Cop [DVD] [2006]

Customer Rating

Another fine example of Canadian humour

on October 16, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

I first read about Bon Cop, Bad Cop while riding the train to Montreal. There was a bilingual featurette on the film in VIA Rail's magazine, and I was instantly intrigued. I'd seen Colm Feore at Stratford four years ago, and I was familiar with Patrick Huard from the Les Boys hockey film franchise. I studied at Laval University in Quebec City for two months, and specialized in Quebec Studies (history, literature, and cinema) as an undergraduate, so I was intrigued to see how the film would balance both the bilingual and bicultural aspects of living in Canada. The issue of Quebec is a contentious one for a number of political, social, and cultural reasons. Bon Cop, Bad Cop attempts to use humor in an attempt to defuse volatile issues between the Two Solitudes (English- and French-speaking Canada). A series of brutal murders in the Canadian hockey community pairs together two very different cops: Torontonian Martin Ward, (Colm Feore) a by-the-book, prim-and-proper intellectual, and rough-and-tumble David Bouchard, a shoot first, ask later detective from Montreal. Naturally, the two despise each other at first sight, and the rapid-fire bilingual one-liners between Martin and David are fast and furious from the get-go. Some critics panned the film for a seemingly forced, unnatural balance of bilingual script, but as someone who's trilingual, I frequently switch languages when speaking to other bilingual friends; nothing unnatural there. Much of the comedic humor comes from the culture clash between Martin and David, Ontario and Quebec; there are numerous in-jokes regarding Canadian law, stereotypes of Quebeckers (diehard smokers, dangerous drivers, womanizers) and Torontonians (cold, boring, workaholics) and nods to popular Canadian culture (Rick Mercer of This Hour Has 22 Minutes does a great Don Cherry impression, Uniprix commercial spoof, cameo by Nanette Workman). There are some hilarious scenes involving tortured translation between the Quebec police chief and his Ontarian counterpart as the two (fully bilingual) detectives watch in disbelief. The secondary characters really shine, from a speed-talking coroner (Quebecois comedian Louis-José Houde) to Martin's glamorous, hip sister who's hot for David, as does the bilingual script. The special effects are very well done considering that the film had an $8 million budget. In the vein of earlier Canadian comedies like Strange Brew and Men With Brooms (a curling "comedy" from Paul Gross aka Constable Benton Frasier of Due South, Bon Cop, Bad Cop is a sendup of that great Canadian pastime, hockey. Of course, beer, curling, beavers, and the fleur de lis make prerequisite appearances, as does marijuana (there is a priceless scene involving a self-destructing marijuana greenhouse that brought to mind the British comedy Saving Grace). Romantic interest? Check. (You'll never think of "Vive le Quebec libre!" quite the same way again...) Action? Car chases? Explosions? Check. The weakest part of the film is the villain, who is never really developed; we never know, or care, why he turned psychotic. There is also a gratuitous amount of violence and swearing (nearly all in French) that seemed over-the-top, but it's obvious from the start that this is a film that has no intentions of taking itself seriously. Looking at these elements separately, Bon Cop, Bad Cop would appear to be another shallow attempt at creating a uniquely "Canadian" comedy. But there is an unexpected depth and tenderness in the character development between Martin, David and their respective families (both men are divorced single parents), and the bilingual dialogue really shines. Huard and Feore give standout performances, and I felt right at home in that strange limbo between Quebec and Ontario from my experiences in both English- and French-speaking Canada. This is a gem that deserves to be seen!

What's great about it: Great interplay between Feore and Huard, some sharp bilingual one-liners, action scenes look good on a small budget

What's not so great: The baddie is hardly developed, some silly moments

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Piece of My Soul [CD]

Customer Rating

Garou's first English CD doesn't disappoint

on October 15, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

After being discovered singing in Sherbrooke's bars, Garou rocketed to fame in 1997 starring as Quasimodo in Luc Plamondon's Notre Dame de Paris. His debut album Seul was followed by Reviens and Garou. During this time, Garou was under the management of Celine Dion's husband Rene Angelil. There had been rumors for years regarding his first English album, and Corey Hart even mentioned writing two songs for it ("10,000 Horses" and "In Your Sweater") on his website. But other than the rare English cover of "Dust in the Wind" on Within and the English-langauge recording of Notre Dame De Paris (Music From the Show, fans have had to wait for "Piece of My Soul." "Piece of My Soul" also marks Garou's departure from Rene Angelil. This also marks a departure from his strong team of French-language songwriters such as Eric Lapointe, Didier Barbelivien, Jacques Veneruso, and Gildas Arzel. However, he gets some well-known help from Rob Thomas on Stand Up, Enrique Iglesias on The First Day of My Life and Ronan Hardiman on What's the Time In NYC. In a change from his previous albums, All the Way is penned by Garou himself in a double-entendre homage to two of his great loves: poker and women (he's credited by his real name Pierre Garand; Corey Hart's songs seemed to have disappeared by the wayside). Like many Quebecois, Garou's bilingual; his English diction is mostly flawless (for most of his early career he was singing covers of English-language R&B and pop). The ballads are well crafted and mainly low-key, and this definitely deserves a listen if you've never before heard Garou. I found Heaven's Table to be particularly mesmerizing, and the haunting Nothing Else Matters, based on the 2005 tsunami. It seems that Sony BMG Canada isn't putting a lot of promotional effort / funds into Garou's first English CD; more than a month after its domestic release in Canada, I only found one (not very favorable) review in the Montreal Gazette, and there's no release date listed for the US. Surprising, since Rob Thomas and Enrique Iglesias are bankable names in the States. It's a pity, really, because as usual Garou pours his heart and soul into bringing the thirteen songs to life, and this would have been a perfect break into the market south of the (Canadian) border: oh, and it doesn't hurt that Garou's versatile (he plays several instruments including guitar, piano, and trumpet), charming, easy on the eyes, and has a wicked sense of humor in French and English. I only hope that "Piece of My Soul" will receive a launch in the US so that Garou gets the attention he deserves; his albums are head and shoulders above the prefab blandness crowding our ClearChannel airwaves.

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Penelope [DVD] [2006]

Customer Rating

The movie that Tim Burton never made

on October 14, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

Penelope is a modern-day fairytale involving a family curse: as revenge for an unjust death, a witch curses the Wilherns so that their first daughter will be born with the face of a pig. For several generations, only males are born, but when Penelope (Christina Ricci) comes along, the curse is fulfilled, and she's born with a pig's snout. Her parents (Catherine O'Hara from Beetlejuice and and Richard E. Grant channeling Christopher Walken) keep her locked away after faking her death so that the paparazzi will steer clear. Now in her mid-twenties, the sheltered Penelope has several talents, including botany, chess, and music (and Penelope's vintage glam costumes are to die for). She's a voracious reader as well, with a library full of rare, valuable first editions. Every week, her overbearing mother makes her meet several potential suitors (bluebloods) in an attempt to break the curse: in order for that to happen, Penelope must be loved by "one of her own kind." Quirky, with loveable characters and some not-so-loveable ones rounding out the cast, Penelope feels like a lost Tim Burton film; the zany dialogue reminded me of Beetlejuice at points, as did the dark, twisted visuals. The message of "love who you are, not what you look like" is beat over your head about a million times, and Catherine O'Hara as the stage mom is particularly loathsome as she obsesses over plastic surgery for Penelope and other ways to make her daughter "normal." But I found Penelope to be an engaging fairytale, if a little long, in large part due to the sparkling performances of Ricci and McAvoy. Extras include an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Twilight (a new scene, some behind-the-scenes footage, and brief interviews with director Catherine Hardwicke, author Stephenie Meyer, and several of the stars).

What's great about it: Cute story, great costumes, and solid acting from Ricci and McAvoy

What's not so great: This isn't a kid's movie, contrary to marketing.

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo [CD]

Customer Rating

The Puppini Sisters step out

on October 13, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

The Puppini Sisters, inspired by the The Triplets of Belleville from the Belgian/Quebecois animated film of the same name, pay homage to the girl groups of the 1930s and 1940s; from their victory curls to the fire engine red lipstick to the curvy, form-fitting retro dresses, here are three gals who are seriously enamored with WWII-era vocal music. Their tight harmonies and covers of retro gems such as Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen, Mr. Sandman, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and In The Mood fused seamlessly with covers of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights, Blondie's Heart of Glass and Gloria Gaynor's anthem I Will Survive made their debut Betcha Bottom Dollar endearing and quirky, but with definite staying power, particularly if you're like me and you adore the Andrews Sisters. On their sophomore follow-up The Rise and Fall Of Ruby Woo, the trio (Marcella Puppini, Stephanie O'Brien, and Kate Mullins) have penned nearly half of the songs (Soho Nights, I Can't Believe I'm Not A Millionaire, Jilted, It's Not Over, And She Sang). The covers this time around are more zany, including the Bangles' Walk Like An Egyptian and Beyonce's Crazy in Love, along with Old Cape Cod and Spooky. The only nod to vintage covers here are "Old Cape Cod" and "It Don't Mean A Thing" (If It Ain't Got That Swing). But even here, the "sisters" have veered from strict 1940s harmony to taking liberties with scat singing, ad lib lyrics and drastically altering the tempo. They've also thrown in a medley of other gems on It Don't Mean a Thing, including Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?, Putting on the Ritz, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and Mambo Italiano. Those who loved the Puppini Sisters' debut for its adherence to 1940s glamour and sonic fidelity will be sorely disappointed, particularly by some of the new songs like Jilted: "Oh, trust the Cosmo quiz for advice," or I Can't Believe I'm Not A Millionaire, which features the line "I fixed myself a Pop-Tart instead." The 1940s this is not, but the new direction towards self-penned independence and less reliance on covers feels weak compared to their first album. Soho Nights was a standout, but I found myself routinely skipping over the other tracks written by the group. Overall, this is still a fun album with a nod to retro glam in the spirit of the Andrews Sisters, but the new songs paled next to the enduring classics from the 1940s and 1950s; the covers on this album were all from the last 20 years for the most part, which was a big leap from their prior album. The Puppini Sisters also recently released two songs for the Kitt Kittridge: An American Girl soundtrack that sound most similar to their debut, and I look forward to seeing what the future will hold for this unusual group.

What's great about it: More of the Puppini Sisters' strong WWII-style vocal harmonies

What's not so great: Few vintage covers, new songs don't hold up to repeated listening

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Putumayo Presents: Québec [CD]

Customer Rating

Vive le Quebec!

on October 3, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

As someone who has a French major with an emphasis on Quebec Studies and who studied for two summers at Universite Laval in Ste-Foy, Quebec, I can attest that this special anniversary CD (the 400th anniversary of Quebec City's founding by Champlain) is a bit eclectic to thoroughly represent the broad range of Quebecois music, but it makes a brave attempt. This ranges from call-and-response courtesy of well-known Quebecois band La Bottine Souriante and Le Vent Du Nord to more modern fusion stylings from DobaCaracol, a track from Annie Villeneuve (the winner of Quebec's version of Pop Idol), and a nod to Quebec's rich First Nations heritage (there are eleven tribes) from Florent Vollant. I wasn't familiar with many of the artists (it's been six years since I lived in Quebec City), but I could think of many Quebecois artists that I wish had been included, such as Lhasa, whose haunting voice blends Spanish, English and French with a fusion of Mexican and world influences, early important pop figures such as Felix Leclerc or Gilles Vigneault, or modern sensations such as Celine Dion, Garou, Roch Voisine, Eric Lapointe, etc. My personal favorites are the two most traditional tracks from La Bottine Souriante and Le Vent Du Nord (I have a large collection of traditional Quebecois folk music) and the haunting track sung in Montagnais by Florent Vollant; his solo CDs are sung entirely in Montagnais (an Algonquin language) and are absolutely amazing, though pricey for those of us south of the (Canadian) border. But these tantalizing tracks are an accurate reflection of the many cultural influences at work in Quebec, from First Nations tribes to its many Francophone immigrants from Africa and abroad, and Putumayo: Quebec serves as a perfect jumping-off point for a more in-depth exploration of the riches that Quebec's music has to offer.

What's great about it: Good basic intro to Quebec's music scene

What's not so great: Many important omissions

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

Christmas Songs by Sinatra [CD]

Customer Rating

An old-fashioned Christmas with Frankie

on October 2, 2008

Posted by: Veggiechiliqueen

Christmas Songs by Sinatra is a compilation of Christmas songs recorded by Frankie during the '40s and released as a series of 78s. With lush arrangements by Frankie's Columbia mainstay Axel Stordahl, these fifteen songs capture a Sinatra slowly evolving from "boy singer" with Harry James in 1939 and with Tommy Dorsey in 1940-42 to confident swinger by the early 1950s shortly before Sinatra left Columbia for Capitol (the tracks were recorded between '44 and '50).
Opening the set is a slow, mellow cover of "White Christmas," made famous by Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn. To be fair, Frankie's version is fairly similar, buoyed by the Bobby Tucker Singers. Next up is Silent Night, with a soft, haunting bell introduction. The Ken Lane singers provide a very soft harmony to Frankie's melody. This is one of the more beautiful vintage versions of Silent Night that I've heard; Axel's sweeping string bridge is unmistakably cinematic in only the way that the 1940s could be.

Adestes Fidelis sounds almost identical in arrangement to the first two songs. But Jingle Bells shakes things up; not as much as Bing and the Andrews Sisters (this version is a tad slower), but it's still a pleasant change of pace from the seriousness of the first three tracks.

Other notable tracks include Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Christmas Dreaming, and the brassy, bold Santa Claus is Coming To Town from 1947. This is the first track where Frankie's really swaggering; there's strong hints of his future swinger status on display. Let It Snow is also brassy and assertive, where the earlier tracks were soft, reverent and string-drenched. Here, muted trumpets and bass provide a rhythmic, lively backdrop for Sinatra. This track most clearly foreshadows Frank's work on Capitol and Reprise, and is the latest of the tracks, from 1950.
Overall, Christmas Songs by Sinatra is a pleasant throwback to a simpler era, full of familiar Christmas tunes and a few surprises such as Christmas Dreaming (which I wasn't familiar with). The arrangements are in that 1940s style: string-drenched, with earnest-sounding female backup singers. The songs from the WWII era reflect on the values of family and faith, evident in religious songs such as Schubert's Ave Maria and the Lord's Prayer in addition to Silent Night and Adeste Fideles. Several of the tracks suffer from Axel's sameness in arrangement, but this is beautiful background music for a quiet Christmas season evening spent around a fireplace, or sitting in the hushed glow of the Christmas tree.

Collector's of Frankie's Columbia works will want to add this to their collection. If you're a fan of Frank's later work on Capitol and Reprise, Frank rerecorded most of these songs at a later point (many are on A Jolly Christmas with Frank Sinatra). If you're tired of the latest tween music "sensation" covering Muzak-lite versions of traditional carols, consider returning to the basics with a young Sinatra.

What's great about it: Frankie covers many traditional carols in classic 1940s style

What's not so great: Cover art and liner note photos are bland; could have used more info in liner notes

I would recommend this to a friend!

Share this review:

0points

0of 0voted this as helpful.

<< 1 2 3

Veggiechiliqueen's Review Comments

Veggiechiliqueen has not submitted comments on any reviews.

Veggiechiliqueen's Questions

Veggiechiliqueen has not submitted any questions.

Veggiechiliqueen's Answers

Veggiechiliqueen has not submitted any answers.