Cloe

As all you guys probably could have surmised from my posts over the past few months, I've been trying to get more regular in my posting so you guys have a semi-structured blog to come back to every week or so. But ever the erratic music lover, there are just some days when I discover an amazing talent and I just can't wait to share it with you guys. I do promise to try and space all the posts a few days apart, so due justice is done to both you, the readers, and the artists, who might not be able to rush to my site and read the new article immediately. Never fear though, because if you do happen to miss a new post, or if I've posted a new one unexpectedly, you can always check out the most recent posts in the archive section of my blog. There's just too much talent out there for me to stifle myself all the time, so just take it as it comes guys haha.
Okay, enough blabbering on about stuff you all really don't care about haha. My post today (I would say this week, but I might have more coming for you guys sooner, lol, so we'll just have to see) is about an incredibly talented young woman from Quebec, Canada: Cloé Beaudoin. Now, I don't pretend to know anything about classical music and voice training, but after listening to this girl, I would bet anything that she's what voice instructors spend their lives hoping to discover. With a voice that reaches high into the rafters of my heart and soul, Beaudoin's notes immediately remind me of Lacey Mosely (Flyleaf), and Amy Lee (Evanescence) in particular.
One thing I love about this young artist already is that many of her songs seem to be inspired by serious topics, and those that aren't explicitly so still carry the feeling of having some deeper importance.
Case in point is the first track I listen to on Beaudoin's Youtube channel, "If This Is the End." By Beaudoin's comments, I learn that this one is written to denounce domestic abuse, a worthy cause if ever there was one. "If This Is the End" is a brilliant first track for me, filled with resonating guitar chords and boasting heavy yet insightful lyrics. What I can't get over, though, is Beaudoin's voice. The notes this girl can hit, so seamlessly and beautifully, intrigue me and absolutely floor me. Her voice is so much like that of Amy Lee, but only in range. Beaudoin's vocals are neither copied nor strained; she's not trying to be anyone but herself, and in that light she succeeds beyond anything I would have initially expected. A beautiful track until the end, I wonder if anything else can even begin to compete with it.
Beaudoin doesn't let up for one moment. The next track I pick out from her slew of originals I pick in part because of the note under it: "Inspired by a suicide note." With anything like that following the title, I know I have to listen to the song. I'm not disappointed at all. "Deliverance" is initially faster than "If This Is the End," but slows immediately as Beaudoin's vocals enter, and so already has thrown me in my expectation. The chorus on this one is brilliant: a full-throttle progression that kicks my heart rate up in much the same way as do many Evanescence and Flyleaf songs. Then suddenly, it ends, and the verses slow down once again, leaving me thinking of how flawlessly Beaudoin employs the Pixies' loud-quite-loud dynamic. Never have I heard it applied to acoustic music in such a way that it just jumps right out at me. "Deliverance" is one of the must-hear tracks on Beaudoin's Youtube channel, no contest.
The last track that I will let myself talk about here (because let's face it, once you hear this girl, you're gonna agree with me that nothing I write here can possibly do her justice) is the song "Rest in Peace (RIP)." This one, according to Beaudoin, was inspired by the Twilight Saga book series, and in much the same way that Meg & Dia use their favorite books to wring songs from their talented minds, Beaudoin uses this one to inspire one of her (in my humble opinion) most amazing songs. "Rest in Peace (RIP)" has, among its many bragging rights, an incredible vocal performance from Beaudoin. Right from the first chords she strums on her guitar, Beaudoin's voice is wafting up through my mind, washing away everything I thought I knew about acoustic vocals. I know I can't do this girl justice, but I'm gonna try. With a voice that would make angel's go green with envy, Beaudoin sends "Rest in Peace (RIP)" over the top with lyrics that resonate with every fiber of my being. A bombastic chorus blasts from her guitar, and everything about this song spells romance and forbidden love.
If Beaudoin never had anything else to call her own, she would still have "Rest in Peace (RIP)." But that's not the case at all. More originals abound all over her Youtube channel and Myspace. "Infected" and "Brink of Insanity" test her strengths even further, but I'm gonna let you guys discover those gems for yourselves. Just released recently, 2009's Living in the Shadow showcases some of Beaudoin's best tracks, and many more that make it one of the albums I'm gonna rush out to hear in its entirety. Don't forget the name Cloé Beaudoin; this girl is going places. Still under 20 years old, I believe that we haven't even begun to see the talent that resides in this girl. I'd keep my ears peeled for her if I was you, because there's no way this girl's talent is gonna go unrecognized. Hell would freeze over first.
Adam Marx - Adam Marx New Rock News 43