26 March 2021 - Jann Arden - Insensitive

On December 29, 2017, Arden was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for her 'achievements as a singer-songwriter and broadcaster, and for her extensive charitable work.

I literally copied that from the Jann Arden Wikipedia page.  I also learned from her Wikipedia page that she was born in Calgary, but at an early age, moved to Springbank, Alberta.  Having spent some significant time in Calgary, I can tell you 1) great city.  Go there when you can. 2) That's barely leaving Calgary.  

This was Arden's only big US hit, reaching #12 on the pop charts, but she's a superstar in Canada. This song might sound like a sweet ballad, but it's actually kind of angry - which is part of the brilliance of Arden's performance.   

The song was released in the mid 1990s, but she still sounded amazing playing the song live in 2018.

25 March 2021 - Neil Young - Helpless

After we posted that brilliant k.d. lang cover of this Neil Young song yesterday, we could not help but post the original performing his own song.

From Farm Aid 1993, the Canadian legend belts his classic song, originally performed with his band Crazy Horse but was more famously recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.  Alone, the power and ache of Young's voice shines through.  

24 March 2021 - k.d. lang - Constant Craving

You know, we haven't had anything resembling country yet this month, so let's go with it today.

k.d. lang did start off as a country artist in the late 80's, finding success in both the US and her native Canada.  However, when she embraced a slightly poppier sound in the early 90's, she achieved her biggest hit outside of Canada - today's feature.  By moving away from country, she found a larger audience - and earned a Grammy.

The song itself - which lang co-wrote - is a song about, well, constant craving.  It features both her rich voice alone, and multi-part harmonies.   In kind of a funny coincidence, the Rolling Stones were (perhaps not consciously) inspired by this song when writing their 1997 single "Anyone Seen My Baby" - so much so that they gave lang a co-writing credit.  This was not due to a lawsuit.   This was due to Keith Richards being that big a fan of the song.  

Also, I hear this song on in-store radio literally every time I go to Wegmans.   Not a joke.  

23 March 2021 - The East Pointers - Two Weeks

For me, personally, the greatest musical discovery I made in 2020 is PEI band The East Pointers.  It's not even close.  They are a delight, and everything that trio has done is delightful.  I love their dedication to folk music and to Atlantic Canada.  

For those outside Canada, YYG is the code for Charlottetown Airport, on Prince Edward Island.  And yes, WestJet does fly from YYG to and from YYC - that's the code for Calgary, an airport I know very well - on a seasonal basis.  

22 March 2021 - Gordon Lightfoot - Song For A Winter's Night

Gordon Lighhtfoot is a Canadian treasure.  On this, there can be no debate.

Of course, the song was written on a hot summer's night in Cleveland, Ohio in the mid-1960, as Gordon was missing his wife while on tour.  It is a sweet song that is now a winter staple in my house.  I hope it is in yours as well.  

21 March 2021 - Dream Warriors - My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style

Captial Q and King Lou were just a couple of friends from Toronto who came together to sample an old Quincy Jones song that was a television theme song.  I suspect it is this song that caused "Soul Bossa Nova" to be the theme for the Austin Powers movies, although Mike Myers is Canadian, so he'd probably have seen the Canadian game show Definition.  

And now you know where the chorus for this song comes from.  And why the song has such a long title.  

In case you were wondering about Definition, here's a 1982 episode.  YES, that's the guy from Card Sharks. 

20 March 2021 - Len - Trillion Daze

Every one knows that Len is a one hit wonder.   That doesn't mean they didn't release other music, or even that "Steal My Sunshine" was their first single.  The Canadian band preceded that huge hit with this single, and a video that features some sweet snowboarding.  

"Trillion Daze" is much less hip hop and much more straight-ahead rock with punk sensibilities.  I like this incarnation of the band.