Search - Annette Ducharme :: Don't Argue With Her

Ducharme does not disappoint: "Don't Argue With Her" !

01/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems fitting that when you take five years off between your first and second album, you break for as little as possible when putting out your third. Though only one year has passed since the release of "Sanctuary", listening to "Don't Argue With Her" (Known as "Bloom" in Ducharme's native Canada) would make you swear she'd advanced her sound another half decade. The music on this CD is again guitar-based but bordering on the fringes of the alternative genre that has taken over modern rock, without sacrificing the pop hooks that make Ducharme's music so appealing. The result is a brilliant compilation of radio-friendly, but intellectual musical delights. The lead single "Change Your Mind" is pure power pop, while the themes of homelessness ("Flowers In The Concrete", covered by Tom Cochrane on his album "Ragged Ass Road") and mental illness ("Talk To The Waves") surface amid the more typical themes of love lost and found. A particularly poignant track is "Hurts My Dreams", featuring the ambiguous chorus "I don't wanna hear about Brandon, 'cause it hurts my dreams", a reference to the bizarre and mysterious death of "The Crow" actor Brandon Lee. Ducharme lets a little more of her originality and wit show through with each new release; again, this is not an album to pass by if you're lucky enough to find it."