Bound by the Beauty (CD - 1989)

Personnel: Jane Siberry (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Ken Myhr (guitar); Wendell Ferguson (pedal steel guitar); Teddy Borowiecki (piano, accordion); Dave Pilch (acoustic bass); John Switzer (bass); Stan Wynston (drums); David Ramsden, Rebecca Jenkins, Anne Bourne, Gina Stepaniuk, Cherie Camp, Don Freed (background vocals).

Recorded at Orchard Studio, Norval, Ontario, Canada in the spring of 1989.

While Jane Siberry's early releases tended to highlight her ethereal, stylized voice and her penchant for dense, dreamy soundscapes, BOUND BY THE BEAUTY brings things down to earth a little. Without sacrificing atmosphere, nuance or her remarkable ability to paint a mood through music, BEAUTY proves Siberry additionally capable at crafting concise pop gems with more straightforward production.

The rolling, country-inflected title cut, for example, or the breezily humorous ramble of "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog" places Siberry's so-called artiness in accessible formal packages. None of this is to say, however, that Siberry is any less idiosyncratic with this disc. Haunting, emotional portraits like "La Jalouse" play against the angular social commentary of "Half Angel Half Eagle" and the quirky, Latin-tinged narrative of "Miss Punta Blanca," to provide the range of emotion and stylistic shifts that fans have come to expect. Though arguably more commercial than some of Siberry's other work, BOUND BY THE BEAUTY still bears the signature of this top-notch singer/songwriter. minimize