SIENNA DAHLEN
Breathe
Sienna Productions
· One of the best albums I’ve heard all year and no one’s even heard of her.
She’s got the pipes, she’s got the keys, she’s even got the presence – why hasn’t she been signed to a major label? Sienna Dahlen illustrates what is wrong with Canada’s music biz.
It’s hard to believe that Dahlen, who has paid her dues in Montreal’s smokiest jazz clubs, doesn’t have more on the shelf than two albums. Her most recent release, Breathe, is a combination of folk, pop and glitchy music meant to be listened to late at night with a bottle of something. But the best thing about the album is that it’s an all-original mix of smart, thought-provoking lyrics, blended with smooth steel guitar, electric piano, cello, violin and organ. On "Meditation," Dahlen creates her own mantra and not only manages to make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud, but actually reminds you to keep breathing.
My favourite thing about Breathe is that Dahlen’s voice and music are chameleon-like. From song to song, she transforms herself from an unknown artist to Sarah MacLachlan in "Dropping Like Flies," to k.d. lang in "Tadoussac," to Rose Chronicles in "Sticks and Stones" and she even sounds a little bit like Radiohead in "Little White Lie."
Breathe is by far one of the best albums I’ve heard this year and there’s no doubt it that won’t be her last. Dahlen is definitely someone to keep your ears open to.
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