Our Pick: Artist-Andrea Menard

Page 16

Album-Simple Steps

Song-Enough Room

Label-Independent

Producer-Robert Walsh

New direction for Metis singer

Andrea Menard gained many fans and garnered a lot of attention when she released her first album, The Velvet Devil, in 2002. The CD featured songs from her one-woman play of the same name and helped establish her as one of Canada's finest jazz singers.

For her sophomore offering, Menard has chosen to go in a new direction musically. Her CD Simple Steps contains a dozen original songs written by Menard in collaboration with Robert Walsh, who also worked with her on the songs for The Velvet Devil.

This new CD has more of a country feel to it, with Menard's Metis heritage providing inspiration for both content and style. In Metis Hands, she sings of the birth of the Metis people. In 100 Years, she reflects on the statement made by Louis Riel, "My people will sleep for 100 years and when they awake, it will be the artists who give them back their spirit," and she ponders what role she should play as a Metis artist.

A singer, songwriter, actor and playwright, Menard has demonstrated throughout her career that she is nothing if not versatile. With Simple Steps, she's further building on that reputation.