What an informative, energetic read!

Despite being conscious and aware for at least the latter half of the 90’s, my knowledge about these Canadian superstars was practically non-existent. I knew Celine Dion was the lady who sang the titanic song that gives me involuntary goosebumps. I knew that Shania Twain was a country singer that my mom liked and that man, she felt like a woman. My husband LOVES Jagged Little Pill so I at least knew more about Alanis Morissette’s music, and that she played god in that movie where Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were gay angles. But I only really knew Sarah McLachlan as the artist who sang those sad songs on the commercials about rescuing abused animals for as little as a dollar a day.

This book was packed with information, facts, and research, but is also written in an almost casual, conversational tone that makes it easily readable. It’s like listening to your smartest friend ramble on about their pet interest, in this case Canadian musicians from the 90’s. Another strong point of this title is that it explores these artists and their music in context. The music industry was, and still is apparently, a business rife with sexism and discrimination, the artists with the most talent or best songs don’t always get the chance to rise to the top. Additionally, musicians who are women get talked about and scrutinized in a way that male singers and songwriters just don’t. they’re more likely to be judged on appearance rather than substance, more likely to have their success attributed to partners or husbands also in the music business. This kind of thing was everywhere in the 90’s and is absolutely still a factor today. Reading this book wasn’t merely informative, it was eye opening.

It was an absolute delight to learn more about these phenomenally talented artists who really did change the music industry and music itself forever.