Chantal Kreviazuk - Under These Rocks and Stones

When an artist signs a million dollar deal to a label nearly immediately after sending them a demo tape, the music industry stands up and listens. When the Winnipeg-based Kreviazuk takes her show on the road, her audience stands listening in awe. An incredibly powerful debut, the pianist/vocalist provides lyrics both eloquent and cathartic in tracks like "Grace" ("Please don't go/without you I am weak/find myself drinking and sinking and seeking") and "Wayne" ("It's crowded and I'm lost in here/I'm trying to find a familiar fear"). Kreviazuk's music--as well as her piano playing--is rich, warm and beautiful, well worth the purchase price. --Denise Sheppard Amazon.com

Soothing............

Chantal Kreviazuk's music is soothing for the soul!

Great stuff to relax with!

Check her out, I think you'll enjoy it! June 28, 2008

~Hauntingly eloquent and strong~

Add this to your collection. She's fabulous. I recommend this to anyone that listens to music. The vocals are touching and the music is deliciously put together!! Great work. October 30, 2007

Lacks staying power

When I first got this album as a new release, I really liked it, and listened to it a lot. However, I quickly grew tired of her frail, scratchy voice, and the oft-depressed lyrics that pervade the entire album. After a relatively short time, I simply stopped feeling like listening to it, and haven't ever really felt compelled to go back. I came across some of her songs once in a while on compilation tapes I made when I was listening to her, and I tend to turn the stereo down, or tune out. I've so far resisted putting this into my iTunes library. It's just over. July 3, 2007

Good Talent

I first heard the song "Surrounded" on Dawsons Creek a few years ago and finally decided to try the album. It's good talent but I'm not falling off my chair like the raves I've heard amongst everyone. There are a lot of talented singer/pianist/writers out there (Try Vanessa Carlton). It's good, though. March 19, 2007

Kreviazuk shines brightest on her own

No one can deny that Chantal Kreviazuk is incredibly talented. Her voice can be both confident and fragile, her lyrics contain some poetic gems and she masters her piano like no other. So naturally, her debut album could be no other than perfect, right?

Wrong. As long as Kreviazuk is left to her own devices in songwriting, she produces truly beautiful songs. "Surrounded" is a heartbreaking ballad that showcases Kreviazuk's impressive range, while "Believer" is an angry rock song that really packs a punch. "Wayne" shows Kreviazuk's views on innocence and it's fragility and "Green Apples" really is a very sweet love song. If only she could have stuck with these gems.

As soon as she gets some help in songwriting, things go awry. The lyrics become boring, and sometimes even downright silly, like in "Co-Dependent", where one line actually goes like 'but I eat it up like bologna/I can't get enough'. Kreviazuk seems to realize this, because her vocals suddenly become flat and bored, like she isn't even trying. On "Disagree", "Hands" and "Boot, things are not much better.

This album is definitely still worth it's price for the good songs it contains, but it misses out on the five stars because I can't listen to it without skipping a few songs. July 3, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...