Posted on: December 27, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Serena Ryder – Told You In A Whispered Song / 2007 Atlantic / 5 Tracks / http://www.serenaryder.com / http://www.atlanticrecords.com /

For a while before looking it up, I was confusing Serena Ryder with Sarina Paris. Both are Canadians, but there’s quite a few years difference between the ending of Paris’ popular musical career and the beginning of Ryder’s popular phase. The tracks on “Told You In A Whispered Song” provide individuals with a sense of exactly how talented Ryder is without the rest of eir band. The tracks are all recorded with only Ryder present – there is only guitar and vocal on these recordings. I believe that this has the effect of showcasing the fact that Ryder is not like an Avril, and can come forth with very emotional and intense songs.

In that sense I think that there is a comparison to Alannah Myles (“Black Velvet”) to be made, and songs like “Hiding Place” just further this comparison. What is most impressive during ”Hiding Place” is not the vocals, but rather the intricacy of the arrangements that Ryder commits to the tracks. This intricacy is matched up well with a certain Spartan sound to the track, a conscious move that highlights these hard to decipher (but ultimately fulfilling) arrangements. The most impressive track on “Told You In A Whispered Song” is “Brand New Love”, a song that links together catchy arrangements with a bouncy set of vocals. What I want to know, given these performances of tracks, is how they will ultimately sound when Ryder is with eir band. I would like to see this disc re-released with “proper” studio versions of the tracks, so that individuals can see exactly how Ryder is contributing to the overall sound of the band and how much of eir overall success is directly attributable to the work of Ryder. If you can find this EP anywhere, make a point to pick it up.

Top Track: Brand New Love

Rating: 6.8/10

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