Liz Labelle

Liz Labelle’s star power burned bright and her talent was so big it could hardly be contained on Genghis Cohen’s small stage at a recent stop on her U.S. tour that just wrapped up in Los Angeles, CA. Hailing from Montreal, Labelle is a pop singer-songwriter, trained vocalist and drummer, and a self-taught piano and guitar player. Also supported by guitarist Christian Harrison, he offered a solid, nice accompaniment with texture and color. His cool, understated presence was good contrast and balance to Labelle’s more impassioned and lively demeanor. At 23, Labelle commanded the stage like a seasoned professional. She oozed confidence, charisma and won the audience over right away belting out original material that was fun, catchy and dramatic with a voice that is strong and fluid. The eight song set included “Painless,” Heart Shaped Locket,” “Hot Mess,” “Party Monster,” “Bombs Away” (which is featured in a movie trailer for Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List starring Victoria Justice), “Brave,” French Girl” and “Knuckle Kisses.” Labelle can fit into more mainstream pop style but she can easily veer into alternative and even crossover to a power ballad territory. Last year, Labelle due to her own drive, gumption and tenacity, secured a four-date spot on the Warped Tour because she was seen by the event’s CEO handing out flyers for her music and CDs. This lead to her music being heard by him. Clearly, this exposure helped Labelle hone her chops further. Although, the Genghis Cohen gig was on a much smaller scale, she managed to impress, completely stand out and give the performance her all as if she was entertaining hundreds of people instead of an intimate crowd.
Liz Labelle’s track ‘Bombs Away’ is the first featured song on Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List trailer starring Victoria Justice.” - Harriet Kaplan

Bon Dieu qu’on aime le duo Ian Lee/Liz Labelle! Ian unit sa saveur pop au rock de Liz et ça fait BOOM! Les deux chanteurs joignent leurs forces pour la chanson Rock This Town, qui se retrouve sur l’album Comme moi du chanteur.

En collaboration avec Les Productions Gamet, May de The Garlics a participé avec Ian Lee à la production, réalisation, conception et la direction artistique du vidéoclip! Elle nous a d’ailleurs raconté une anecdote de tournage:
« On a essayé de filmer une scène où le band complet recevait des ballons sur lui… Mais on s’est mal compris au décompte alors on n’était ZÉRO synchronisé!!! On a vraiment eu droit à un flop (rires). En plus, Ian et Liz étaient tellement déconcentrés par la horde de ballons lancés qu’on ne pouvait rien garder au montage de la scène tournée. »
On aurait aimé voir pareil!!! La La La La La Laaaaa! - HollywoodPQ

Ian Lee présente son nouvel extrait Rock This Town en collaboration avec Liz Labelle.
OMG! Ian Lee vient de faire le meilleur move en sollicitant les services de Liz Labelle pour la chanson Rock This Town!!!
Après So Nice To Meet You, l’auteur-compositeur-interprète présente son troisième extrait issu de son album Comme moi, co-écrite avec la chanteuse montréalaise qu’on adoooore Liz Labelle: Rock This Town. On en profite d’ailleurs pour vous conseiller l’album Tanqueray Dreams de Liz Labelle (disponible sur iTunes), qui est vraiment excellent!!!
Rock This Town est disponible dès maintenant sur iTunes. Vous pouvez aussi entendre la chanson ICI. - Karine Paradis

Liz Labelle has a sweet voice and mesmerized us, last night at Saint-Ciboire Pub & Terasse. - MTL Blog

However, for this new tune, it features a heavier usage of electric guitars, causing it to have more of a rocky and grungy edge to it – think Avril Lavigne. This track displays Labelle’s versatility of being able to adapt to different styles.

If you’re looking for something different and fun to listen to, I suggest you look this song up right away. Have fun singing and dancing away to it! - Into The Crowd

There’s no doubt, I love a good pop song. From the excellent power pop stylings of Mike Viola and Adam Schlesinger, to the tightly crafted yet undeniably catchy Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way,” to the strictly guilty pleasure category of pop tunes you’ll find on any top 40 station, I can usually find at least some redeeming element… Because of this, I took on the review of 22-year-old Montreal-based Liz Labelle’s sophomore release and first full-length album, “Tanqueray Dreams.”
Labelle cultivated a love of music from a young age. With singing lessons at age 9, followed by drums, piano, and guitar lessons, and a high school band that made an appearance at Montreal’s Jazz Festival in 2009, Liz went on to continue her music education at Cégep Saint-Laurent. Since then, she has built an impressive list of musical achievements for someone her age.
Having listened to “Tanqueray Dreams” quite a few times over the review period, I found there were things I liked about it, others I didn’t, and others to which I just couldn’t relate. The one thing that really stood out to me is that Labelle has a really good voice. And it doesn’t sound overly produced or auto-tuned either; there are examples online of live performances that show her raw vocal ability. Labelle assisted in the writing of the entire album and switches effortlessly between French and English, although most of the songs are in English. As with a lot of top 40 pop music, lyrically, it’s all laid out on the table and not hard to decipher the overarching themes of relationships (good and bad), partying, and drinking.
“Mad Love,” “Heart Shaped Locket,” and “Hot Mess” are the love-gone-right songs on the album, all typical of what you’d find on pop radio. My favourite of these three was “Hot Mess;” I especially liked the bridge – some great chord changes there. “Painless,” “Lovely Little Liar,” “Bombs Away”, and “It’s Not Me, It’s You” are the in-your-face, love-gone-wrong tracks on the album. The latter two reminded me of pop duo Karmin, and are quite likeable.
While I think this album will appeal mostly to the late teen/early 20s set, the overall production quality here is solid, and Labelle’s voice is just as good, if not better, than some of today’s top pop artists. One thing I didn’t “get” is that Labelle’s sweet disposition in interviews is belied by many of the album’s lyrics. Just one case in point, “Party Monster:” We brought the big guns / Bring in the cavalry / Smells like Merlot, cigarettes, and debauchery / We’re the creatures of the night / You got your spirit / We got your riot / We tearin’ down the whole city just for the hell of it. It’s hard to take this kind of lyric seriously, but I realize Labelle is 22 years old, and it wouldn’t be the first time a pop singer embodied this kind of juxtaposition.
With that said though, I preferred “C’est La Vie” (my fave track on the album). With its Ben Folds meets Coldplay piano, sweeping chorus, and mature lyrics: Even when the sun is fading on your perfect ending / You throw your white flag up ‘cause it’s worth defending … C’est la vie, let me go / Let me run down this lonely road / Where it takes me I don’t know / Better here than what I know… I would love to hear more of this type of song as Labelle matures in her career. - Bucketlist Reviews