Emm Gryner - Asianblue

More great music reviews & torrents at btbeat.comrnrnrnrnThe smart pop of Emm Gryner\'s sixth full-length album, Asianblue, garnered her a 2002 Juno Award nomination for Best Pop Album. Indeed, it\'s a highly intelligent and melodic album, spotlighting Gryner\'s impeccable taste in keyboard melody lines. Album opener "Symphonic" is nothing short of magnificent with its memorable piano intro and poetic terms of endearment. All that keeps Asianblue from being an excellent album is a general lack of similarly memorable refrains among its 11 tracks. Nevertheless, Gryner\'s sparkling voice has sufficient combination toughness and sweetness to retain credibility in all subjects and tempos, and her lyrics once again strike just the right balance between originality and accessibility. Asianblue is refreshingly cliché-free, and its songs carry a thematic unity worth several listens. Too bad American audiences had to wait until well into 2003 to get a taste of it. rnrn4 Starsrn- allmusicguidernrnSome of the magic melody dust from her last album must have rubbed off on this one: Emm Gryner\'s first disc of new material since her covers record Girl Versions finds the Ontario singer-songwriter in top form. Where past releases like Science Fair have been somewhat spotty, sparkling tunes are the rule rather than the exception on Asianblue. Indeed, the disc doesn\'t hit a snag until the somewhat dull eighth track, "Christopher," while "Young Rebel," "Northern Holiday," and "Beautiful Things" all boast the kind of radio-perfect melodies Sheryl Crow would sell her flared pants for. Often piano-based, with just enough programming to remind us we\'re in the post-Beck world of contemporary pop, the songs are full and richly melodic, offering new pleasures with repeated listenings--even the sad songs, like "Lonestar," say so much. This is the sound of Gryner hitting her stride, and it is a beautiful thing. rn- Shawn Conner, Amazon.carnrn2002 album finds the Canadian singer/songwriter collaborating with producer Wally Gagel (Folk Implosion, Eels, The Rolling Stones), long-time childhood friend Daniel Burns & Sheryl Crow/Oasis keyboard guru, Mike Rowe. On Asian Blue Gryner combines the pop sensibility of the 80\'s music she was raised on with the more stripped-down approach to recording she has come to favor to create an album of emotional highs & lows. From the biting but catchy \'Beautiful Things\' to the lamenting \'Green Goodnight\', Asian Blue is Emm Gryner at her best. rnrn- Amazon.comrnrnrnArtist: Emm GrynerrnAlbum: AsianbluernDate Of Release: 2002rnGenre: AlternaPop, IndiePoprnBitrate: VBR --alt-preset extreme