Chloe Charles
Country of origin:
Canada
Type of music generally:
Beautiful and fierce mainstream/alternative pop, early work sometimes folky folk
Status:
Most recent release, With Blindfolds On (2015)
See also:
Chloe Charles's site
Comparisons:
Her publicity says "Take Billy Holiday's sultry poise, mix in some Amy Winehouse grit, Adele's hooks and the quirky intelligence of Joanna." I could go along with that as a description without the particular artists' names. Vocally she often reminds me of Joni Mitchell's jazzy twists and turns and range. (Neile)
Covers/own material:
Own and co-written
General comments:
I obsessed on her music when I first came across it. Her early work is very Joni Mitchell, but her more current work is harder to describe. It's very pop-listenable but also has delightful quirks. Charles' vocal and stylistic range is impressive. She's both playful and emotive—and from the above, sultry, posed, gritty, quirkily intelligent, and her music has strong hooks. Highly, highly recommended. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Break The Balance
Recordings:
- Little Green Bud (digital EP, 2010)
- Souvenir (digital demos, 2011)
- Break The Balance (digital, 2013)
- With Blindfolds On (2015)
Little Green Bud
Release info:
2010
Availability:
Digital outlets
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Chloe Charles—vocals, classical guitar
Comments:
A five-song EP with emotive songs and Chloe Charles' gorgeous, evocative vocals. Opening with the very early Joni Mitchell-esque "Soon on a Snowflake," the songwriting is excellent and quirkly. The track that has lodged itself in my head most deeply is the driving second track, "Progression," an especially powerful, evocative song, reminiscent of the songwriting chops she displays on Break The Balance. Overall, this EP is a strong introduction to an artist with impressive songwriting and vocal skills. (Neile)
Souvenir
Release info:
2011
Availability:
See Chloe Charles's bandcamp site
Ecto priority:
Recommended for Chloe Charles and/or folk fans
Group members:
Chloe Charles—vocals, classical guitar
Comments:
The art for the download says: weimar.de
2007.5
2007.7
bedroom tracks
So I'm taking it that these are home demos from 2007, especially as they do seem to show a younger artist in the early stages of discovering her own voice and developing songwriting skills than the assured first public presentation of Little Green Bud and the even more assured and fully crafted collection that is Break The Balance. This album doesn't appear on her current website and I wouldn't have known about its existence had I not asked bandcamp to show me everything available from Chloe Charles.
These seem to have a strong Joni Mitchell influence. They're more folky, and are solo acoustic performances and so feel less polished than her other two more releases—and not just in production. These are lovely songs, and well-performed, but fel like a snaphot of an artist in the process of discovering the power of her voice. Interesting, and folk fans will love it, fans of Chloe Charles' later work will find it interesting but perhaps not as powerful as her later work. (Neile)
Break The Balance
Release info:
2013
Availability:
Digital outlets
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Chloe Charles—vocals, classical guitar
Guest artists:
Davide Santi—guitar (4)
Amahl Arluanandan—cello
Kelly Lefaive—violin
Justin Craig—drums
Andrew Mullin—drums, backing vocals (5)
Sam McLellan—bass
Niel Whitford—electric guitar
Matt duncan—piano
Gordon Hyland—Korg
Aly Tadros—backing vocals (6)
Comments:
One of the top albums of 2013. (raschee@gmail.com)This album is a knockout. Quirky, smart, great vocals, terrific songwriting...really, it would be at the top of my 2013 list had I heard it before the end of the year. I can't say enough good things about this one. Get it. Listen. The vocals, the songwriting, the creativity utterly grabbed me. I love this and look forward to hearing more from Chloe Charles. (Neile)
With Blindfolds On
Release info:
2015—Make My Day Records (Germany)—MMD094
Availability:
See Chloe Charles's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for pop fans
Group members:
Chloe Charles—vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar, Moog Voyager
Guest artists:
Robert Herrmann—memotron (1), piano percussion (1, 4); piano (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14); nord (3, 4, 10, 11); harmonies (1, 3)
Mackenzie Longpre—Drums (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13)
George Koller—contra bass (1); electric bass (2, 3); gang vocals (3)
Sam McLellan—contra bass (1); electric bass (10, 12, 13)
Davide Santi—violin (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14); piano percussion (1, 4); harmonies (3, 14); rain (12)
Kelly Lefoive—violin (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9); gang vocals (3); harmonies (6, 8, 10)
Rachel Cordiello—viola (1, 3, 4, 6, 12)
Neil Whitford—electric guitar (2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14); gang vocals (3); Moog Voyager (8, 13); percussion (12)
Eilbruz Sorkhabi—programming (2, 8, 11); programmed beats (3, 4)
Mike Celia—gang vocals (3)
Bernie Cisternis—programmed heartbeat (8)
Chris Sholar—electrric guitar, bass, programming (9)
Nicole Hurst—backing vocals (9)
Hoe Viner—harmonies (13)
Produced by:
Chloe Charles (1-8, 10-14); Chris Sholar (9)
Comments:
A gorgeous and gorgeously produced pop album. (Neile)
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