Her Here And Now

Quebecois singer Jorane releases her first English album

To the cynic, it may seem that Montreal-based cellist and vocalist Jorane is following a commercial motive in releasing her first English-language album, The You And The Now. Her earlier albums have earned her a growing fan base in Europe and Canada, but the U.S. market is notoriously reluctant to embrace artists who sing in other languages.
In a recent interview with Tandem, however, Jorane passionately and convincingly insists that the move has been made for artistic reasons. In fact, more significant than the fact that her songs are now in English is that she is writing and recording conventional songs for the first time.
"Yes, it is new for me," she acknowledges. "Before, I wouldn't say I was singing songs." Rather, Jorane used her powerful and atmospheric voice as another instrument, a creator of sound rather than linear and intelligible lyrics. She virtually invented her own singing-in-tongues style language, and combined that with haunting cello on such earlier albums as her 1999 Juno-nominated debut, Vent Fou, and 16mm.
"With 16mm, it was more exploring a world inside myself, and maybe that is why there were no words. When you go that deep inside yourself, perhaps there are no words to express that. The You And The Now is more a reflection of the world around me. Now, it is more open, maybe because I am ready in my life for that."
Initial reactions to her new approach have been very positive. "It came out first in France, in early September, and it has received a really good reaction," Jorane explains. "People say, 'how can you take all those big compliments?' Well, when you have worked as hard as we have on something that is your passion, yes, that makes you happy."
She has indeed worked hard, as this is Jorane's sixth recording in five years. That figure includes a live album and an original soundtrack for a Quebecois film, Claude Fournier's Je n'aime que toi.
The You And The Now is her most collaborative project to date. Acclaimed world music producer Michael Brook (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N'Dour) was at the console, and Jorane co-wrote songs with Lisa Germano, Shira Myrow, and talented Toronto singer/songwriter Simon Wilcox. "Simon and I have been friends for a few years and we went on a writing trip together to a cabin in the woods for a week," says Jorane. "You have to be comfortable with who you write with."
There are two non-originals on the album, a cover of Giorgio Moroder's "I Feel Love" and one French song, "Pour Ton Sourire." It is a Daniel Lanois composition that he has yet to record. Jorane explains that "I heard him sing it, and it stayed in my heart. He told me he was open to the idea of my doing it, and then he came to the studio to play on it." Lanois adds typically fluent electric guitar, ukulele and vocals, and appears alongside Jorane in a new video for the song.
Also featured on the album is the acclaimed Turtle Island String Quartet, and Jorane's string and brass arrangements confirm her musical prowess. That talent was spotted by Sarah McLachlan, who had Jorane add cello and background vocals to some tracks on McLachlan's recent Afterglow disc.
The neat balance between instrumentation and voice is a key strength of The You And The Now. "I was really paying attention to the fact that I didn't want the words to take too much of a place, and leave the music on the second level. I spent a lot of time on the arrangements and the colour of the instrumentation, as much as I would have done without words."
Brook is the first outside producer with whom Jorane has recorded, and she is full of praise for his contributions. "I think I had to produce myself first, but after 16mm, I knew I had to work with someone else that could open my horizons."
Geographical horizons are also opening for Jorane's music. She has toured in Europe and performed in Mexico, and The You And The Now will receive a wide international release in the coming months. Prospects for a release in the U.S. of both this and earlier albums are also bright. "Getting to travel and meet other musicians is a real joy," she says.
Jorane has occasionally performed with symphony orchestras, but her upcoming Toronto concert at Revival will feature her five-piece band. It promises to be a magical musical evening.

The You And The Now is now out on Aquarius/DKD. Jorane performs at Revival on Oct. 13.

Publication Date: 2004-10-10
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4492