The difference can be heard right away: ten seconds of strum-my, hammering guitar. It could be the Strokes, the Vines, or Jet, but then, in comes Jann Arden's familiar vocals, albeit amidst a very uptempo backing band. As Jann herself describes it, the disc is "teeming with a really joyful spirit and full of bliss and optimism," quite a statement from the woman who wrote "Insensitive" and "Sorry for Myself." Indeed, Arden has a great gift of capturing aching beauty and a heart's deep hurt, but it is also refreshing to hear the new CD's first single, "Where No One Knows Me" and feel the riding-with-the-top-down positive vibe: There are also some sonic departures as well; Arden's whispered, reigned in vocals on "Life Is Sweet," with all it's hushed-ness, could, given a slightly different melody, be a contemporary, downtempo number straight off the U.K. charts. Equally delicate and also a treat is the CD's final cut, a new version of her previous hit "I Would Die For You", this time as a duet with fellow Canadian singing legend Sarah McLachlan. There is no question that this record is a bit of a departure for Jann and her band; that said, it is just different enough to keep it fresh and interesting both for the singer and her fans. Thankfully, the trademark goodness remains intact, and this will likely be a loved disc by her longtime fans, and possibly a new introduction to the unconverted. --Denise Sheppard
