Jann Arden – Blood Red Cherry – (Rounder 2001)

By Alex Teitz

             Jann Arden is a complex and skilled singer-songwriter. She is a Juno winner, and even does acting on the side. She is also someone who has been playing for twenty-five years and knows where her priorities lay.

            Blood Red Cherry is Arden’s first album in nearly four years. It is an achievement that stands out boldly. Arden is joined on the CD by Russell Broom whose guitar and drum loops add a new layer to Arden’s lyrics.

Blood Red Cherry focuses on a few central themes: hope, love, and change. The fourteen tracks have many standout songs. The single “Cherry Popsicle” is a reflection of the sappy sweet love leaving a bitter taste when gone. “Sleepless” is that one moment of wanting to stay with someone and let the world move by. Both “Into the Sun”, and “Another Human Being” focus on humanity with a small glimmer of hope for the future. Among this heady material Arden still laughs with the songs “I Only Wanted Sex”, and “Janeen.”

If Blood Red Cherry was Arden’s only album it would not have the same impact. Blood Red Cherry  marks as courageous a step as Peter Gabriel’s So. It should be placed in the same place is every listener’s collection.  Where other artists wallow in mediocrity Arden bravely risks with an album that will stand for time to come. For more information visit http://www.rounder.com or http://www.jannarden.com  

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