Search - Alison Debison :: Bigger Than Me

"Bigger than Me" an exceptional album everyone can relate to

PlanetStar | 06/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aselin. Not an ordinary name, but very fitting, as Aselin is not an ordinary girl. First, not everyone can sing with the power, grace and beauty Aselin's voice holds. Second, how many 14 year olds have 2 successful cd's, a few hit singles and countless incredible performances under their belts? Her songwriting talent is not ordinary either. It is not very often that you find a young girl sitting down to write folk/pop music with some of the country's greatest writers, nor is it often you realize that these songs are coming straight from the heart. Rather than being packaged into teeny-bopper songs about heartbreak, Aselin writes about what she knows, and thus, her songs are very easy to relate to. The first single, "Life", talks about trying to make it through tough times and do something right - a struggle so many young teens I know are going through right now. Almost everyone who knows someone with divorced parents can relate to "Faze", and anyone who thinks things are happening too quickly in the world understands "Had to Grow Up". People who argue with their friends and then regret it will find comfort in "Stupid Things" and "Thank you (4 Breaking my Heart)" and "The Friend in Me" also describe typical situations for dating teenagers. This kind of truth is not found in the average pop album now, yet another thing which separates Aselin from the rest. And finally, Aselin is not the ordinary pop star. Instead of getting caught up in the glitz and glamour, she is remarkably level-headed, and, as she writes on her website, "at the end of the day, I'm still Azi!""

Still The Littlest Angel

Adam Blauser | Akron, Ohio United States | 03/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aselin Debison has become very interesting to me since I first encountered her music while studying composition and piano a little while back. I have heard that many of her fans are not happy that Aselin has chosen to go a different route with this music, but to tell you the truth, I think her roots are still there. If you look at the melody of the Chorus of "Life" you will find that Aselin has played around with an old folk music friend: the pentatonic scale. She has used a pentatonic scale and also inserted a leading tone here and there so she switches back from pentatonicism to diatonicism. This ingenious little tonal construction helps to elevate the chorus well above the rest of the piece. This makes the chorus much more "exuberant" if you will. In fact, Aselin later takes that melody in the Chorus and expands upon it leading into the bridge section which makes for an extremely exciting change towards the end of the song. Now, all of this is indeed dressed in pop music harmonies, but it just goes to show you that, whether these things were intentional or not, Aselin is still highly influenced by Cape Breton and its musicians.Aselin has opened up a whole new world to me with regards to music. First of all, let me say that I have never met her. As far as her personal life, whether she is a good, Godly woman, I don't know. However, her professional life is second to none. Here is a girl who is not even 15 yet, and she is already working with professional musicians, and in fact takes long tours all over Canada doing promotional work and giving concerts. From some of the stuff I found on her internet site, she also is on her basketball team and is learning to play the guitar. She also has other people who have dismissed their loyalty to her because she has chosen to change her style. In spite of all of this, you will very rarely find a picture of Aselin when she is not either in deep concentration or smiling. That just goes to show you that her head is in the right place. Hence, her music has taught me to put a smile on my face even when I am bogged down with having to learn several songs for auditions and recitals.Aselin is very personal in this album. She really shows how she feels about things that happen in her life. The song "Faze" is about the horrors that divorce brings on a child and imparticular one of her friends. She shows us the hurt of someone she loves leaving [in "Miss You"], and a song about seeing the stress of people who have grown up [Had to Grow Up]. For people like me who have never met her (which is most people), listening to this album is like peeking into her heart. That I think is something that makes this album so unique. While the music is sophisticated structurally, it is also honest. She is also still very modest, and still respects herself by dressing modestly. That is something for which I really respect her. You don't see that too often from a young teen musician today. I whole heartedly endorse all of Aselin's work. She is a fine young musician. I look forward too hearing more from her. She has matured so much, but having listened to her earlier stuff as well, I can honestly say that from my perspective, she is still the littlest angel, and her music is as sweet as ever."

Amazing! That's All I Can Say!!

ontario_girl29 | London, Ontario Canada | 03/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is amazing! I have loved Aselin's music since she came out when she was about 12 with her wonderful album "Sweet is the Melody". Now Aselin is back with this breathtaking album that I cannot listen to enough! Aselin is someone who is going to go far with her musical career! She is a breath of fresh air,You cannot even compare her to Avril Lavigne or any of the other countless female music artisits to jump into the scene recently! Aselin Thank You!"