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Miwa's vocals have a lingering roll like a rich syrupy-glaze
dripping out with a smooth creamy sheen, and rippling vectors
of serenity and distraught. The melodies on her latest album This
Is How You Found Me, released by the Canadian indie label
Addicted Records, range in mood swings from feeling in love to
feeling the distress that comes with the painful thorns of love's
lies. There is something simple about Miwa's songs, but also complex
about her spacious melodies. The emotional entanglements portrayed
in her lyrics reveal deep scars as they are shrouded in softly
stroked guitar and keyboard melodies performed by Miwa and gentle
drum loops played by Brian Lackey. The songs have a melodic
luster that is reminiscent of France's torchlight singer Lise
Darly and the folk-pop lyricism of The Corrs' Andrea
Corrs. Miwa's vocal style is equally classic as it is modern,
reminiscent of Westside Story's Natalie Wood and
modern day vocalist Emily Haines.
The fairy-tale aura of "Picnic" reminds me of the actress
Lesley Caron who played the main character in the movie
Gigi about a young girl who has nothing in her head but
daydreams and love in her eyes. Miwa turns the tide on "Traveling
Man" strapping the melody with a traditional country fare
of old west movie tones and a sultry vocalese. Miwa reverts back
to a cozy lullaby texture filling the atmospheres of "Ordinary
People" and "Angel's Prayer" displaying willowy
vocals as soft and empyreal as heaven's clouds. She picks the
tempo up a notch on "Pieces" and "Crazy Over You"
wielding an ambient-pop glow with folk-pop fringes seaming the
sonic tapestries. Her voice resonates with a torchlight brightness
on "Forever For Never" and "Room Of You" which
features dainty interludes of the mandolin played by Miwa. The
final track "Paperwhites" is a low burning melody with
spacious guitar strokes woven around Miwa's gentle vocals making
the tune as pretty as it can be.
Granted, Miwa's album is all feminine and soft and would not
appeal to those who want everything in life to be done fast and
furious. She reminds us to stop and live in our daydreams for
a while. Her music allows us to escape from the tribulations of
reality and having to deal with the pangs of dejection. Her music
exudes compassion which alone makes her album This Is How You
Found Me memorable. If angels could sing, I expect that they
would sound like Miwa.
-Susan Frances
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