For her first album in four years, P!nk presents a particularly skilful mix of touching ballads and catchy pop songs. Trustfall feels like a kind of motivational therapy session, addressing themes of change, self-acceptance, loss and, of course, love. On this ninth album, P!nk pushes her voice more than ever and she impresses greatly. This voice supports her deep lyrics, which does not prevent her from hitting the dance floor with lighter tracks like "Never Gonna Not Dance Again". The Lumineers, First Aid Kit and Chris Stapleton collaborate on three folk- and country-tinged tracks, but they're not the album's best moments. Instead, P!nk is at her best when she dominates the stage with her strong personality and voice. With Trustfall, P!nk once again offers a very good album, which may overwhelm some with its variations of styles, but which contains very few weak moments.

Music Videos: « Never Gonna Not Dance Again » - « Trustfall »

For his fourth album with Warner Classics, Alain Lefèvre continues in the vein of My Paris Years released in 2019. He once again evokes his time at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris as a young student, continuing his foray into the French repertoire. This time, the virtuoso pianist tackles works by César Franck (1822-1890), Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Pierre Max Dubois (1930-1995). From Franck, he proposes "Prelude, Fugue and Variation in B minor Op. 18 M.30" and from Debussy, we can rediscover five works, including the evanescent "Rêverie L.76(68)". As for Dubois, he was the one who taught composition to Lefèvre during his studies in Paris. A student of Darius Milhaud, Dubois wrote witty and brilliant music. Here you can hear "10 Études de concert pour le piano, Nos. IV, VIII & X", as well as the "Sonata for piano (1985)", dedicated to Alain Lefèvre. This is a great tribute by Lefèvre to his formative years in the City of Light.

Since 2019, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre métropolitain de Montréal have undertaken to record the complete cycle of symphonies by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Here they present Symphonies 3 & 4 from the seven symphonies of the Finnish composer. Conducted by Nézet-Séguin, "Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52" and "Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63" were recorded at the Maison symphonique de Montréal by the Orchestre métropolitain. These are two magnificent works by Sibelius, masterfully performed by an orchestra and its conductor at the top of their game.

The American pop punk band is back with a new album, six years after After Laughter. Paramore hasn't been punk for a while now, but it's even more obvious on This Is Why. Their sixth album has some traces of their more aggressive past, but the whole thing is definitely pop rock, a sound tailor-made for the radio. The band's musical break allowed Hayley Williams to explore new musical horizons and there are obvious traces of this on This Is Why. Indeed, we find more poetic and confessional lyrics than what the band is used to provide. Paramore also presents certain influences of the 80's, notably in the synthesizers, as well as the disco-punk of the late 70's. The whole thing is a great listen, especially since there are only 10 tracks totaling 36 minutes. The revival of This Is Why suggests a renaissance for Paramore, who still has many lands to conquer.

Music Videos: « This Is Why » - « The News » - « Liar » - « Running Out of Time »

Kimi Djabaté is a multi-instrumentalist from Guinea-Bissau, specializing in guitar, percussion and balafon (an African xylophone). He grew up in a family of griots, West African troubadours who travelled from village to village to preserve ancient oral traditions. On his new album, Dindin, Djabaté takes the traumas of his childhood and turns them into joyful love songs. He mixes traditional Afro-Portuguese rhythms, Afrobeat grooves, electric desert blues and touches of Cuban rhythms. The result is both smooth and rhythmic, managing to touch us quickly. Here is a very nice album from Kimi Djabaté, very pleasant!

The band Maneskin was formed in 2016 in Rome, Italy. The quartet offers energetic alternative rock with excellent pop melodies and a hint of electronica. They were first discovered in 2022 with three colossal hits, "I Wanna Be Your Slave", "Supermodel" and "Mammamia". However, they had already enjoyed success in Italy with their first two albums, Il ballo della vita and Teatro d'Ira, Vol. 1, before winning Eurovision 2021 with the song "Zitti e buoni". Rush! is Maneskin's international debut album, featuring "Supermodel" and "Mammamia" as well as the more recent hits "The Loneliest", "Gossip" (with Tom Morello) and "Baby Said". The record unfolds with energy throughout, with catchy choruses to match. There are only a few rock ballads to break this frantic beat, ballads worthy of the 1980s. Moreover, this decade comes to mind on some occasions with obvious new wave influences. It is a solid album that this young band with an impressive talent offers us. A fresh wind in the rock landscape! (February 2023 Featured Review)

Music Videos: « Supermodel » - « Mammamia » - « The Loneliest » - « Gossip »

Quebec composer Maxime Goulet works in many spheres of musical creation, from symphonic music to video games. His classical music works are regularly performed around the world by prestigious ensembles, including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He has composed more than 30 video game soundtracks and is the creator of the Montreal Video Game Symphony, in collaboration with the Orchestre Métropolitain, during the 375th anniversary celebrations of the city of Montreal. To mark the 25th anniversary of the ice storm that hit Quebec in January 1998, Goulet brings us the "Ice Storm Symphony", a symphony in four movements: "Turmoil", "Warmth", "Darkness" and "Light". It reminds us of one of the worst natural disasters in Quebec's history and the heroism that came out of it, in addition to raising awareness of environmental issues. The album also includes "What a Day" and "Fishing Story". Goulet can count on the Orchestre classique de Montréal under the direction of Jacques Lacombe, with Kornel Wolak on clarinet. (February 2023)

Mount Westmore is a rap supergroup featuring Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort. The quartet offers 16 tracks totaling more than an hour of a frankly effective rap. Each one of them takes the lead to impose their own style, but it's all done in camaraderie and fun. In addition, the group surrounds itself with talented producers: Rick Rock, Ant Banks, Big Zeke, Soopafly, Kato On the Track, Fredwreck, Dem Jointz, ProHoeZak, etc. The quartet has already presented three singles ("Too Big", "Free Game" and "Activated"), three solid tracks that give a good overview of the whole that is offered to us, without forgetting "Big Subwoofer" released a year ago. This is a must have for any rap fan, especially if you like the West Coast sound. (January 2023 Featured Review)

Music Videos: « Big Subwoofer » - « Too Big » - « Free Game »

Five years after Feed the Machine, which went back to the basics of the band's sound, Nickelback continues in the same direction on Get Rollin'. They once again leave out all the frills that made them stray from their raw, heavy sound. So, the sound of the album isn't all that modern, but it achieves its goal. We quickly discover it with the energetic first single "San Quentin", one of their most effective compositions in years. However, one quickly realizes that the musicians are no longer 20 years old when we hear the nostalgic "Those Days" and that we have the feeling of dealing with grandpas on "Skinny Little Missy". Catchy choruses are still on point in songs like "High Time", "Tidal Wave" (with 1980s influences) and other mid-tempo ballads. The veteran Canadian rockers have enough experience to know what music to produce to satisfy their audience, and this is still evident on Get Rollin'. Unfortunately, Nickelback doesn't manage to move their music in a very surprising direction. (December 2022 Featured Review)

Music Videos: « San Quentin » - « Those Days »

The legendary Montreal jazz pianist and composer may have passed away 15 years ago, but his incomparable music and performances are still very much in the collective imagination. In 1971, he went on a world tour as a trio (with Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer Louis Hayes) and stopped in Zurich, Switzerland. This unreleased concert is now presented on CD, a true collector's item since this trio only played together in 1971 and this is their only live recording, in addition to a studio album titled Great Connection. Although the trio only collaborated for a short period of time, this concert was recorded at the end of their tour. The band demonstrates that they are at the top of their creative game, with perfect control of their playing and excellent synergy. In tracks like "The Lamp is Low", "Mack the Knife" and the title track, Peterson seems to be simply in a trance. It is a unique episode in the history of jazz that is immortalized on this memorable album. (December 2022)

After two albums in 1986 (Metalized) and 1988 (Sweet Dreams), and having opened for Metallica, the Quebec band Sword broke up in 1991. The band led by Rick Hughes (who was also seen as the leader of Saints & Sinners, as a backup singer and as a participant in La Voix) made a comeback in 2011 and has since played in various festivals. Sword is now officially back with their third album, which picks up right where the band left off after Sweet Dreams. The quartet formed by Hughes (vocals), his brother Dan (drums), Mike Plant (guitar) and Mike Larock (bass) once again offers its mix of metal and hard rock, with obvious influences from Metallica, Iron Maiden, Dio and Queensrÿche. Many of the guitar riffs are really effective, especially on the first singles "(I Am) in Kommand" and "Dirty Pig". Their sound will certainly not revolutionize the genre, but it's an enjoyable album that will please the nostalgic 1980s metal fans. (December 2022)