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Uptown Magazine - Winnipeg's Online Source for Arts, Entertainment & News

February 25, 2010


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2010-02-25

Sharing a heart of her own

Singer/songwriter Basia Bulat follows up an impressive debut with an absolutely arresting second album, Heart of My Own

Jen Zoratti

After the release of her 2007 Polaris Music Prize short-listed debut, Oh, My Darling, folk-pop pixie Basia (pronounced 'Baa-sha') Bulat spent the better part of two years on the road. Playing shows all over the world helped the young vocalist/multi-instrumentalist gain some vital experience as a performer, of course, but it was the solitary time spent in transit between gigs that proved especially valuable to her as a songwriter.

Proof can be found all over Heart of My Own, Bulat's shimmering sophomore album. Released on Jan. 26, the record boasts lush, textured soundscapes that evoke pretty, pastoral settings (think: rolling hills, billowing clouds, perhaps a cow) with Basia's warm, golden vocals streaming in like sunshine.

Still, as much as the woodsy, rosy-cheeked Heart Of My Own was informed by her travels - in particular, a recent visit to the Yukon - Bulat's reason for penning songs in the van isn't as romantic as the result sounds.

"I wrote most of the record while I was travelling, but I wasn't thinking in terms of a record. My last album was 34 minutes long, so I needed to write songs fairly quickly so I'd have enough for a show," explains Bulat, with a laugh, over the phone from her home in Toronto.

Not only did she have enough for a show, Bulat, 26, came home with more than enough quality - and already audience-approved - material for her second album.

She recorded more than 20 songs in Montreal with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire), who also produced Oh, My Darling. From that experimental, free-flowing session, Bulat emerged with the 12 songs that make up Heart of My Own.

"I had some plans, but they all went out the window as soon as I went into the studio," she says. "You don't want to try and force something - it's more fun to just see what happens."

Added immediacy and spontaneity came from the decision to record Heart of My Own live to tape.

"I really wanted it to have that performance element," she explains. "And all my favourite records are recorded to tape."

Bulat also really wanted to take her time with the album.

"I wanted to try out new things with my voice and different arrangements," she says. "I've never been able to do that before, take my time like that. This is my second record, and you only get to make your second record once. I think it's really diverse. There's a lot going on on some songs, and on others it's just me and my autoharp. I think it's reflective of having that kind of time."

Having more time can often be a detriment to an album, but nothing about Heart of My Own is laboured or overwrought. Instead, it a refreshingly raw recording, imbued with sincerity, grit and, yes, heart.

"The songs grow and change so much after the record is out, so it's nice to have a version of them that felt the best at the time," Bulat says. "I wanted it to be an honest document - I like thinking of albums that way. I didn't want to fix it too much. There might be some shaky moments, but I think it's honest as a recording."

Basia certainly bares her heart in both her lyrics and her completely unselfconscious vocal performances. From the cinematic opening one-two punch of Go On and Run, to the delicate, lilting Sparrow to the frisky, urgent lead single Gold Rush, there's no doubt Heart of My Own comes from a deeply personal, reflective place. Punctuated with sparkling strings, twinkling bells, driving percussion and a rollicking mélange of guitar, ukulele, autoharp and banjo, the record's impressive arrangements range from bombastic and orchestral to humble and stripped-down, but they always serve the mood of the song and never detract from Basia's yearning, soaring vocals.

Heart of My Own's pièce de résistance, however, is the propulsive, dramatic title track.

"I named the album after the song, which I wrote when I was on tour in England," Bulat says.

"Being away so much, you start to worry you don't feel like yourself anymore with all the constant changes. The album is a bit like that, too - sometimes it's really busy, other times it's really quiet.

"I think Heart of My Own has a really steady, constant beat - I wanted something that was really constant that I could sing that would make me feel like myself every time I sang it."

The song is a good support pillar to have, especially since Basia will be hitting the road hard over the next six months in support of Heart of My Own. And even though the record is just a month old, she plans to keep writing.

She's also entertaining the idea of making a Polish-language album - both her parents are from Poland - but the Toronto-born first-generation Canadian has to brush up on her grammar a bit.

"Making a Polish record is something I really want to do - but my Polish is terrible," she says with a laugh. "I think my pronunciation is really bad. The only way I can do it is if (my Polish) passes my Grandma's standards. Then a record can be released. But that's the only way."

BASIA BULAT
Feb. 25, 8 p.m., West End Cultural Centre

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