Nova's South Admirable

After a phenomenal album such as "Siren" in 1998, one would be very anxious to hear how guitarist/singer/songwriter Heather Nova would follow up such an opus. In "South," Nova takes a more of a pop approach to her music, while still upholding her folkie yet melodic crown.

Nova's lyrics are amazing; and on this album, it is more than obvious this girl was meant to be a songwriter. The song, "Welcome," is a beautiful way to coax you into Nova's world, while songs like "when somebody turns you on," tend to sound a little more pop-oriented than Nova's older material, it's still just as addictive as her former works. As usual, Nova delivers ear-tingling, delightful ballads such as "It's only love," where she claims, "It's only love, but love makes us strong, its only love-but love has been hurting so long."

Nova also experimented with her sound with the song "Gloomy Sunday," with a cello and an addictive trip-hop beat, almost reminiscent of earlier Garbage ballads. A wonderful outcome I might add, of this experiment!

"Heaven Sent" has to be one of the gems included on this album, with Nova questioning where this wondrous person came from into her life, yet acknowledging that she is a little scared of how great this person seems to be. Nova's lyrics are incredibly personal, and beautifully placed with her guitar work, especially in this song.

One of the more soulful songs on this album was "Help me be good to you," which sounds a little more influenced by the likes of possible Marvin Gaye. I think this song isn't one of her best, and I feel it needs a little more going on to keep the listener's ear busy. One of the things I noticed that I didn't appreciate about this album is the layout of the songs; sometimes they seem a little out of place, not consistently flowing into one another. Another song, that I wasn't particularly fond of, was "If I saw you in a movie." But there really are few things to complain about with this album.

The song I was most impressed with was "Just Been Born," in which Nova compares her feelings of longing and ecstasy to the ocean, and the things in it. With a beginning verse of "My heart opened like an oyster shell, I drank salt water from your lips, and just below the equator, I swallowed the pearl," you can't help but to admire Nova for her lyrical imagery. Stating that she feels like she has just been born, to her lover, from the way they make her feel. I think this is a fantastically written song, and it gives me chills each and every time I hear it. It sets a sensual mood within itself, and it's quite an impressive piece.

All in all, I feel that Heather Nova continues to evolve as an artist and as a writer, into a positive and admirable direction that I hope lasts for years to come. "South" is definitely a great album, and I think Nova deserves a splendid pat on the back for her accomplishments regarding this project.

Heather Nova also has a book of poetry and sketches, called "The Sorrowjoy" that she recently published, and made available online. You can grab a quick visual tease at www.thesorrowjoy.com and also order the book if you should fancy her words as much as I do.