From the opening notes of her new album, “The Reminder,” it’s clear Feist wants to cast herself as a classic singer, one able to sit with the likes of Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald.
The album, released last week, makes an impressive try for that mantle. As ineffably indie as she is, “The Reminder” reinforces Feist’s stylistic reach, skirting breezy jazz-pop, acoustic folk and mournful ballads. Born Leslie Feist in Calgary, Alberta, she may be known best for her contributions to Broken Social Scene, Kings of Convenience or electroclash vixen Peaches, her former roommate.
“The Reminder” makes sure that won’t be the case from now on. Its naked songwriting and gorgeous performances announce Feist as a major new talent, one dripping with crossover potential. Of course, it helps that the 31-year-old singer has kicked around the upper echelons of Canada’s music scene for more than a decade.
“So Sorry” kicks off the album with a gentle, deceptively slight vibrato, leading us down a path of finger-picked acoustic guitar, upright bass and mellow keyboards. You can almost picture Feist standing at the microphone, palms raised and eyes half-lidded. Without apologies, the song nudges her closer to a mainstream radio sensibility.
“I Feel It All” nearly beats Chan Marshall at her own game, a more propulsive and beautifully ragged version of that singer’s smoky tunes. A few critics have dubbed Feist a campfire singer, but here she darts into the forest, weaving between repetitive verses and an elegant chorus. The harmonies and neat piano flourishes tug at the heart, and the energy builds without spilling over into straight-up rock.
The album suffers a bit from its lack of ambition. “My Moon My Man” and “Brand Alexander” contain measured performances, but the cloying melodies and lyrics quickly fatigue. “1 2 3 4” invokes clichés faster than you can change the song. “Sea Lion Woman,” a miscast Nina Simone cover, slathers pleasant melodies with a refrain of clashing instruments.
But these are minor complaints. “The Reminder” is more classic than forced, and adventurous in all the right places. “Past in Present” toes a country-rock line, kicking handclaps and pedal steel into the airy breaks. Feist sounds like she’s having the time of her life singing it. “Limit to Your Love” gathers momentum from hovering violins, a soft but insistent brush of cheek from a stranger. It’s easy to imagine it nestled between Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae on the pop charts.
To be fair, the seeming pretension of “The Reminder” is strong. It was recorded in Paris. It lapses randomly into lo-fi production. It crackles with self-indulgence and self-satisfaction. It even features the wispy all-male choruses one would expect to find on a Judy Garland recording.
It conquers these potential pitfalls with overall prettiness. A considered collection, “The Reminder” wears well on repeat listens. Even if Feist isn’t really challenging herself, she’s creating music that deserves to be on any self-respecting music lover’s playlist.
Feist plays the Boulder Theater on June 22nd. Tickets are $23.50 and available at bouldertheater.com.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
