Canadian singer-songwriter Christina Martin has released her 8th studio album, Storm.
The artist, hailing from the east coast of Canada, released her debut Pretty Things in 2002 and has since received various accolades for her work, including the Music Nova Scotia Female Recording of the Year Award for her 2018 album Impossible to Hold.
The album features plenty of anthemic hooks and extravagant orchestral strings, with Martin saying of the record: “The songs are reflections of the storms I’ve experienced in my life – trauma, loss, fear, and through trial and error finding gratitude through transformation, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. So, I guess it’s about healing, the never-ending work of learning how to love, let go, recover, and be open to new things.”
The opening number, Little Princess, is upbeat and features a strong guitar instrumental, with frequent collaborators Karen Graves and Dale Murray introducing strings into the track.
With themes of childhood, Little Princess, much like the rest of the project, feels introspective, if not ever so slightly generic at points.
The next track Stay With Me, described by the artist as the song that ‘motivated the album’, features a pleasing orchestral soundscape and lyrically describes a yearning for connection, something that many can relate to.
The more apprehensive In Control, which has a shadowy feel, contrasts the uplifting Some Days.
Titular track Storm features powerful synths and piano melodies, with the singer laying out her vulnerabilities lyrically.
Inside The Mirror is one of the more interesting songs on the record thematically, with Christina discussing reconnecting with nightmarish figures from her childhood over coffee.
Soft piano ballad Meeting Place is complimented by Austin, a tribute to the artist’s time spent living in the Texan city during her 20s, and Meant To Get Us Through sees her delving into a painful relationship.
A song about an old friend, Still in L.A., evokes emotions from the past, and the album is fittingly finished with the track Healed, which presents some beautifully layered harmonies.
Whilst a good album, there are definitely some areas for improvement, with the work feeling quite stagnant and repetitive at times. It is clear that Martin is a talented songwriter, and it would be good to see her push boundaries and be a little more experimental with her music in the future. At times, it feels as though the singer is afraid to push the boundaries, but this could lead to some of her best work yet.
