Serena Ryder Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Serena Ryder's third album sounds less like Alanis Morissette than her previous releases. A stirring combination of folk and rock, "Is It O.K." is a solid listen from start to finish, with highlights including "Sweeping the Ashes," "Brand New Love," and the Canadian hit singles "Weak in the Knees" (which actually does sound like Alanis) and "Little Bit of Red." With this release, Ryder shows she has the chops to make it with the best of them -- "Is It O.K." won a Juno Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album in 2009 -- and the talent to fit nicely in with the cream of the crop of the Canadian music scene. It also shows her as being one step closer to breaking through to the elusive American market, which this album proves she is very capable of doing. Ryder takes the rough approach she gave to folk on "If Your Memory Serves You Well" and the indie cred from her debut album, Unlikely Emergency, and whips up a sonic delicacy. A formidable talent. ~ Tomas Mureika, All Music Guide
'If Your Memory Serves You Well'
Release Date 11/21/2006
Tracks 15
Label EMI
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For her second full-length, and major-label debut, Canadian singer Serena Ryder chose to mainly focus on the songs of others, specifically, other Canadians, writing just three of the tracks on If Your Memory Serves You Well. Those three tracks, in fact, happen to be the weakest -- most predictable, with the most clichéd lyrics and progressions, and the ones on which the super-clean production seems the most forced -- on the entire album. The rest of it, however, ranging from Paul Anka's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" to a sultry, nighttime version of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Coconut Grove" (co-writer and bandmember Zal Yanovsky was from Toronto) to the Band's great "This Wheel's on Fire" (from which the title of the album was taken), are done well, keeping the original song intact while still adding new, contemporary personality and style. Ryder has a good voice, slightly smoky, and versatile enough to cover all of the pieces here without straining itself or sounding out-of-place, but clearly it's bluesy rock in which she feels most comfortable, and the direction in which most of her interpretations go. Shelton Brooks's "Some of These Days" is jazzy but also very modern, with Latin hand drums and an accordion complementing the vocal lines, while Percy Faith's "My Heart Cries for You" takes more of the Ray Charles route, a passionate, country-blues modern rock take on a classic. If Your Memory Serves You Well definitely has the big label feel, with clean production and smooth grooves, but it's professional and good, and doesn't lose any of the emotion that these songs, and Ryder, want to convey. Only when she moves into her own material do things take a turn for the worst, the singer sounding like some kind of Alanis Morissette/Jann Arden rip-off, too poppy and too simple to do much more than play out and end. Ryder's definitely got the chops to go far, but she's got to prove she can write her material, or hire a good set of songwriters (much like the ones she covers here), if she wants to get there. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With the standard-issue, off-center, extreme close-up of the album cover showing off the singer/songwriter's equally regulation-issue nose ring and lank hair, it's forgivable if one's first reaction to Serena Ryder's debut album is "Oh dear, not another Alanis Morissette clone." Learning that Ryder is a precocious 21-year-old from Ontario (as Morissette once was herself) doesn't exactly help, but prepare for a shock. Unlikely Emergency not only isn't awful, it's genuinely really good. Ryder's voice and guitar are backed by Toronto art pop gadfly Hawksley Workman (who produces and plays drums), and a pair of his regular cohorts, bassist Derrick Brady, and ex-Waltons keyboardist Todd Lumley, but this is Ryder's show all the way. Possessor of a startlingly soulful and commanding voice -- the closest point of comparison is '80s electro-soul powerhouse Alison Moyet, and she absolutely blows away that pretender to the throne Joss Stone -- Ryder delivers her own songs (mostly mid-tempo rock with occasional folk and jazz touches) with unshakeable authority and then casually tops herself with a sterling a cappella rendition of the Etta James standard "At Last." The album isn't perfect -- on the weakest track, the overwrought "Skin Crawl," Ryder does actually sound a lot like Morissette, and that's never a good thing -- but with inventively weird songs like the voice-and-drums holler "Sing Sing" and catchy pop tunes like "Just Another Day," Unlikely Emergency has the depth and range of a seasoned pro. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Serena Ryder tries to crack the American market with this EP, though -- in the song choices on this EP -- she frequently resembles a fellow Canadian songstress, Alanis Morissette. This is especially true of the singles, "Weak in the Knees" and "Brand New Love." When originally released on iTunes, this EP came with a bonus video showing Ryder getting her American recording contract and introducing the masses to this bright young artist. Walking the line between folk and rock with delicate ease, Told You in a Whispered Song is a phenomenal introduction to a formidably gifted talent. While she has created quite a name for herself in her native Canada, one can only hope her music translates over to the American scene. The rest of the world doesn't know what it's missing. ~ Tomas Mureika, All Music Guide
