Your Song

Wednesday night, I was at The Tranzac for an early show featuring singer/songwriter Claire Whitehead (Carew, Blimp Rock) and Kelly McMichael (Rouge, Renders, The Band Called John). They have not only been touring together but are also room-mates, at least some of the time. It was interesting gauging my reactions to these performers. Both use fairly typical end-rhymes in their lyrics. Yet I enjoyed McMichael's songs while feeling a little frustrated with Whitehead's. It had to do with the genres they play with and how they structure their songs.

Whitehead dabbled in folk-indie with delicate chords. In that context, her regular cadence felt clunky. I wanted her to play with the form: manipulate the phrasing, use near rhymes, internal rhymes, and so on (see Tamara Lindeman). A lyricist who can write "When rain settles into earth/And bring these colours up to me" is certainly capable. When she sang in the pop-country vein with 2 songs from her upcoming "Thelma and Louise" rock opera, her lyrics fit better.

Meanwhile, McMichael's ability to craft punchy pop songs meshed well with her standard meter scheme from a Sheryl Crow-esque Stepping Stone to a touch of Tom Petty with Montréal. She can also do tongue-in-cheek (Nature Man). I missed her synth-pop vibe with her playing on the piano but with looped mic taps and finger snaps, McMichael added some groove to a few numbers.

Both performers sang back-up during each other's set. Overall, I had a good time tonight and am looking forward to new album releases from them.