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Adam's Rib Delving dichotomy is a running theme on Adam's Rib. The title track was the album's first single in Canada and a runaway smash -- with two distinct audiences: "Women loved it because it was pro-female and men were into it because it wasn't anti-male," Doane says of the track, a rocking anthem for awakening independence. ("Adam's Rib" is also the lead-off single in the U.S.) "Happy Homemaker," a bouncy, buzzy, yet lilting tune with tiers of soaring harmony, is a kaleidoscope of whimsically shifting perspective. "How You Cried" explores torrents of emotions -- from a man; "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a sultry love-drunk ode -- to a television set. On "Mel's Rock Pile," Doane takes an age-old Celtic reel, renames if for a favorite comedy sketch and turns it into a freewheeling feast of fiddles -- gritty, soaring, plucky, pretty -- parading her stunning string chops. Typically atypical, Melanie Doane didn't take the traditional singer-songwriter route. "I was not always a singer or a writer; my background had always been as a musician," she explains. The product of a musical family, she started violin at age three, thanks to her dad, a music teacher (piano lessons came from mom). Growing up in Nova Scotia, "music was an important cultural thing -- it's a small, isolated place, and you play music when people come over to visit," says Doane, who ultimately segued from her family to other teachers and "every kind of group you can imagine -- choirs, bands, youth orchestras." She became highly-skilled on a number of instruments -- from ukulele to stand-up bass -- before she began to study voice in college. Assuming she'd follow in her father's footsteps and teach music, Doane instead found herself taking a leap of faith, leaving school to pursue theater. She also worked as a sideman and session player, in the studio and on tour. Then it dawned on her: "I began to realize I had things to say." She started to write her own music -- and hasn't stopped since. Doane did a gig, dug it, then did more. She made an indie EP and landed a record deal. Her first full-length release, Shakespearean Fish, was a source of great pride for Doane, despite the album's lack of commercial acceptance. "It was heartache, devastating in a lot of ways, but I never lost confidence," she says now. "I realized it was about the music, that I could keep doing it even if just for myself -- I knew enough about music to know I had the goods -- so I was able to pick myself up." Fortunately, music critics were able to pick up on the album's undeniable strengths. Doug Gallant, writing in The Guardian (August 12, 1996) called Shakespearean Fish "... a handsomely-crafted album of intelligent and intensely passionate music that embraces elements of pop, folk music, jazz and several other musical genres...." while Randy King, in the Regina Free Press (December 11, 1996) found the album "...a well-written, well-crafted cd filled with hauntingly beautiful, deeply personal songs." Melanie's next move was to pack a bag with essentials and lyrics, head to Los Angeles and hook up with songwriter-producer Rick Neigher. "We clicked so incredibly," Doane says. "Within a week-and-a-half we had five songs and then went in to record them. Things went so well that we didn't come home until we'd basically finished the whole album!" The magical meeting between Doane and Neigher opened the door to Melanie's creativity. "He brought out the most amazing things in me," she explains, adding that her goal as a songwriter is to communicate: "I want the songs to say something, not be so mired in mystery that people think, 'Oh, she's so deep, but I have no idea what she's saying.' I draw on the things that I know and if people hear themselves in the music then I've done my job." The fact that Doane is so dexterous and experienced a player adds unique richness to her record; she uses voice, violin and assorted other instruments equally to express just the right amount of emotion -- so no diva vocal tactics or narcissistic noodling. "I don't want to be self-indulgent," she says. "I get bored by people who are, and it's not my style." Which isn't to say Doane doesn't like to play. She was born to -- and will continue. "I'll be in your face quite a bit," she promises. "The joy I get standing in front of people singing -- I can't describe it. I'm happiest when I'm playing with other musicians, playing every night and getting better and better." With the arrival of Adam's Rib, Melanie Doane has received both critical praise and popular success in her native Canada. In addition to her Juno Award, Melanie also won the Canadian Music Weekly Award for Best New Canadian Artist. "As Melanie Doane takes the stage," wrote Alaina Fabro in The Endeavor (March 24, 1999), "the powerful voice and intense focus that earned her the title of Best New Canadian Artist are clear." "She's her own woman," wrote Mitch Diamantopoulos in the Regina Prairie Dog (November 1998), "something that shines through powerfully in her punchy and relevant lyrics." The Edmonton Sun's Mike Ross said "This artist possesses a wicked sense of irony underneath her wholesome and positive exterior...." Tralee Pearce, writing in Capitol City (an Ottawa weekly) called Adam's Rib "... more Melanie than anything she's done. Its catchy, sweet pop tunes mingle with vulnerable ballads and rocking fit-for-radio gems." As Regina's The Leader Post (January 7, 1999) put it when they selected Adam's Rib as one of the country's Top 10 Best Albums of the Year: "Classy lady, classy pop songs. Doane is the Canadian pop diva." Now that Adam's Rib is available outside of Canada, the rest of the world can discover and share the magic of Melanie Doane. |