However, in a show dominated by soulful pop hits, the most memorable moments came from the classic rockers. Singing “If I’m gonna go down, I’ll go down rockin” (which is as good a mantra as any), Bryan Adams brought some much-needed bare-bones, no-nonsense rock-and-roll to the night.
Originally created by Jordan Tannahill, Erin Brubacher, and Cara Spooner, and written for a Toronto setting, the play was adapted for Ottawa with a new local cast featuring two University of Ottawa students, and opened at the National Arts Centre (NAC) on March 31 to a full house.
Mind of Mine is far from the toe-tapping, innocent, and catchy music One Direction has been producing since Malik left. The 18-track album, which came out March 25, is a very different sound from the almost-bubblegum pop music that made Malik famous and instead falls into the R&B genre, taking his talents in a new direction.
If not simply for Nate Ruess’ incredible range as a vocalist, Aim and Ignite is a fantastic album with a variety of tracks that demonstrate the band’s immense talent. The album has everything from syrupy sweet love ballads like “The Gambler” to “Benson Hedges,” a song that begins with gospel elements that signify Ruess’ love for music more than any religion or deity.
The competitive U of O dance club celebrated their 25th anniversary at their annual showcase, held at the Ottawa Little Theatre on March 13. The theme of this year’s showcase was “retrospect”, reflecting upon the team’s evolution over the past 24 years.
The production was held March 12–13 at Academic Hall, with all proceeds from the tickets, food sales, and their silent auction going to Operation Come Home, an Ottawa charity that supports over 1,200 homeless and street-associated youth a year.
The U of O Opera Company’s production, which was presented by the school of music, tackles the theme of achieving true love in the midst of trials and tribulations, with elements of the sublime and supernatural.
The compilation album’s eight tracks are equally as jazz- and funk-laden as his previous project. From a subject matter standpoint, the Compton native takes a chance to comment on the Black experience in America, the evils surrounding his hometown, and grappling with rising success.
Lissie, a rather unknown American indie-folk singer-songwriter, released her third album, My Wild West on Feb. 12. Unfortunately, with this lackluster release her name will likely remain unknown.
The Vancouver natives released this 10-track album riddled with infectious beats, reverberating guitar, and dark lyrical undertones. The album tells the story of a band’s slowly growing recognition, and the intoxicating pleasures and troubles that come with it.
Apocalypso is eccentric, and not in the cute, quirky way indie music often is. We’re not dealing with whimsy here—instead, it is more of a sensual ambiguity, filled with heavy and aggressive sounds that can leave you seeing stars.
In reality, it’s equal parts of each as he crafts his manifesto of his relation to the three Pablos. The brash power of Escobar along with his view of himself as a sullen and misunderstood artist much like Picasso. Finally, he relates to Paul the Apostle being a man amidst constant controversy but whose contributions have been so valuable to the music industry.
Indie singer-songwriter Béatrice Martin, more commonly known by her stage name Coeur de pirate, is a celebrated Montreal-based artist with an impressive way of connecting to her fans through movement and melodic music. As a recognized Francophone musician, she effortlessly expresses herself through both national languages of Canada, drawing in Anglophone listeners to experience French music in ways they never have before.
In many ways, the album is a genuine smile and a rolling tear. Malibu sounds so comfortable and familiar, but also strikingly fresh and new.
As the story takes audiences back into the past, we meet Jem, played by U of O alumna Carol Sinclair, and her father John, a fame-obsessed drunkard. Throughout the play, audiences watch as each character’s past unfolds, and how they struggle to find true meaning and faith in life.
He has always been more than just the leader of the pack, and, forty-seven years after Major Tom first went up into space, David Bowie is still lightyears ahead of his contemporaries.
Although they’ve become known as one of the biggest rock bands of the decade, their new album gives the impression that they’re ready to give up that title—A Head Full of Dreams is their most upbeat and radio-friendly record yet.
Each song on the album has it’s own distinct sound, which showcases Ty Dolla $ign’s range and creativity as an artist. Whether the music is acoustic or produced by DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla $ign delivers on every song.
Throughout the play, Tessler portrayed herself, as well as the other people who were along for her mental health journey, including her parents and doctors. She demonstrated many typical experiences one goes through when dealing with mental illness, but still kept it uniquely her own, with singing and dancing, as well as personal anecdotes of how she dealt with the experience.
One of the best things about this adaptation of the play, and of Shakespeare’s writing in general, is that despite its antiquity it remains fresh in the eye of the beholder. Shakespeare’s writing still seems as relevant today as it was in the 1600s because of Shakespeare’s ability to understand the core of people’s nature and depict it in his complex characterizations, said Gough.
The album never slows down from start to finish, and it’s perfect to dance along to or pick you up if you’re feeling down. Every song can make you laugh. It does everything a peppy pop song should do, just presented in a radically different way, and across an entire album instead of one four-minute track.
Although Green is best recognized for progressions in acoustic power chords, especially on his 2008 album Bring Me Your Love. However his newest work shows a distinct change of pace in sound. Where there was once a soft linear flow of songs, there is now a forte that speaks to the audience in a transformed, sharp, bluesy thundering of songs, but is still directed by lofty introspection from beginning to end.
Time freezes in the music world whenever there is a clash of titans. In the hierarchy of today’s biggest hip-hop superstars, Drake and Future are monoliths. Two of a genre’s biggest artists coming together to release a collaborative project is not something you see every day. What a Time to Be Alive is a mixtape …
Personal play focuses on coming to terms with the past Photo: Courtesy of Craig Conoley People often compare themselves to animals that they believe they resemble in some way. Dogs are one animal that people gravitate to for their loyalty. Others choose the fox, for its sly nature, or the lion, for its pride and …
What happens when a politician orders a murder to slip by in a vote? Comedy! And if Healey was aiming for a comedy he certainly succeeded, with a cast of hilarious characters, rants against Canadian Tire, a quest to find Triscuits, a splendidly performed awkward post-sex scene, rants against twenty-somethings and excellent use of the word “fuckwit.”
