Search - Chantal Kreviazuk :: Under These Rocks & Stones

Kreviazuk shines brightest on her own

Lydia de Leeuw | the Netherlands | 07/03/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"No one can deny that Chantal Kreviazuk is incredibly talented. Her voice can be both confident and fragile, her lyrics contain some poetic gems and she masters her piano like no other. So naturally, her debut album could be no other than perfect, right?



Wrong. As long as Kreviazuk is left to her own devices in songwriting, she produces truly beautiful songs. "Surrounded" is a heartbreaking ballad that showcases Kreviazuk's impressive range, while "Believer" is an angry rock song that really packs a punch. "Wayne" shows Kreviazuk's views on innocence and it's fragility and "Green Apples" really is a very sweet love song. If only she could have stuck with these gems.



As soon as she gets some help in songwriting, things go awry. The lyrics become boring, and sometimes even downright silly, like in "Co-Dependent", where one line actually goes like 'but I eat it up like bologna/I can't get enough'. Kreviazuk seems to realize this, because her vocals suddenly become flat and bored, like she isn't even trying. On "Disagree", "Hands" and "Boot, things are not much better.



This album is definitely still worth it's price for the good songs it contains, but it misses out on the five stars because I can't listen to it without skipping a few songs."