Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43837 in Digital Music Album
• Released on: 2008-12-16
• Running time: 2796 seconds

Customer Reviews

Graceful and pure...
These two words could be used to describe Chantal herself, her voice, and her music. Just by listening to this cd, one can tell that Chantal does take her music very seriously (as her lyrics are always meaningful), but, at the same time, constructs it with a relaxed approach. With her crystal-clear soprano and uncomplicated production, Chantal's music is somewhat of a rare find these days. She opts to not involve various computer technologies available today that are so often used to 'enhance' the listening experience. This stripped down approach is very refreshing indeed. This method is actually the very essence and roots of all music. It's pure, clean, and unfussy. One listen is more than enough to make anyone a Chantal fan!

A New Favorite
While looking for some new CDs to listen to on a recent trip, I came across Chantal Kreviazuk's "What If It All Means Something" and decided to give it a try. It's my new favorite.

Some female singers scream. Some have raspy voices. Some are soulful, poetic, and have angelic voices. Chantal is in the last category. Her voice is strong and emotional, yet delicate and full of spunk. I've never heard anything quite like it and am sure that I won't for quite some time.

Now for the songs: I'm a fan of artists who are actually that. I like people who write their own material as a reflection of what is actually going on in their lives. This album is a beautiful quilt created out of Chantal Kreviazuk's life. All of the songs are amazing, but I feel like some deserve spotlight recognition:

In This Life: With a catchy melody, easy-to-relate-to lyrics, and an overall great vibe, this will become a quick favorite.

Time: Few songs have described my life so accurately. The tune is about all of the wasted days we spend moping over things that will never be. It seems like this one is everywhere - on ABC Family's "Lucky Seven", in the film "Uptown Girls", etc. It's a great tune that you will find both uplifting and touching.

Flying Home: We've all lost loved ones, but few artists have ventured to write so wholeheartedly about losing a loved one to suicide. The song is touching, heartfelt, and highly emotional - yet not angry or accusing.

Feels Like Home: This is a bonus track not featured on amazon's tracklisting, but it is on this album. As far as love songs go, it's powerful and realistic.

There are so many fantastic tunes on this album that I'd love to go through them all - but it would really better if you could hear them for yourself. Buy this one. You'll have a new favorite.

I'm Hooked
Somewhere along the line, "pop" became a dirty word for a lot of people. It wasn't ever thus. There was a time, when, say, Paul McCartney's "poppy" tendencies complemented the edgier Lennon material beautifully. Or Marty Balin's pop-soul effectively counterbalanced Grace Slick's experimentalism and Paul Kantner's bombast. I'm new to Chantal Kreviazuk's music, but I already can see (in the reviews posted below) that there are different camps even among her fan base, with some embracing this most recent album's pop sheen and others yearning for the simpler production and songwriting of her two previous albums.

Well, I am eager to hear some of the earlier stuff myself, but it's hard to believe that the gorgeous pop of her third album is somehow lacking. I understand why people want to compare her to Sarah MacLachlan and other Lilith ladies, but I keep hearkening back to a much earlier time. WHAT IF IT ALL MEANS SOMETHING reminds me of nothing so much as the Beatles circa "The White Album," a time when they were exploring the sonic possibilities of the studio and beginning to tailor their songwriting to same.
The songs are richly evocative, but still fundamenatally hooky pop. Somewhat prosaic titles ("Waiting," "Time," "In This Life," etc.) belie the intelligent lyrics and imaginative arrangements. I always try to avoid the standard critical line about there not being a "bad track on the album" (are there supposed to be?), but WHAT IF IT ALL MEANS SOMETHING? is a particularly satisfying record. Each song is not just pretty good, but heartfelt, inventive and memorable. Who could ask for more (and hope to get it)?

Interesting that some of the Amazon reviewers on this page talk about her "crystal clear soprano," while others complain about (or alternately, praise) her vocal "distortions." Can both be right? Sort of reminds me of the kind of commentary Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush and other singers of considerable vocal and stylistic range often get. Yeah, they can sing pretty--and they also experiment with various degrees of harshness and distortion when they feel the songs call for it. Some will find Chantal Kreviazuk's vocal at least occasionally too mannered, but her affectations are honest artistic choices (agree with them or not), reflective of a thoughtful and intelligent artist.

Like Bush and Lauper, in fact, Kreviazuk is likely to develop a substantial cult following--along with a fair number of fair-weather fans who will remain reluctant to follow her wherever she chooses to go. But like Bush, Lauper--and, yes, the Beatles--hers is a restless artistic temperament. She will continue to grow and develop--that much is clear.