Album Notes

Experimental chanteuse, L. Poushinsky releases her third CD, “Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter.”
Intimate and dramatic songwriting fuses jazz and rock with cabaret inflection.

(Ottawa, October 28, 2009) – Ottawa-based singer-songwriter, L. Poushinsky, is already well known for her hallmark dramatic vibrato and rich, lyric-driven song-writing. Self-styled, “feverish cabaret folk rock for lovers and wolves,” as she calls her material, she combines intimacy and naivety – in the French chanteuse tradition – with a stiletto punch.

Her 3rd CD, “Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter,” to be released with a live performance in Ottawa on November 13th and in Toronto on November 15th, is a mature production that captures her idiosyncratic vocal style with a sophisticated instrumental backing that moves effortlessly between jazz, alt-folk and rock riffs.

Like her previous releases and more than 100 live performances (with bands Red Fey, Hollow Water, and as a solo performer,) Poushinsky delivers deliciously interesting compositions about love and life that are musically textured and emotionally exposed. But there’s no self-indulgence here. Poushinky does not wallow.

With a subtle touch, Poushinsky navigates her audience through a raw emotional landscape with a quirky, flirty, even frolicky bounce. The complex jazz-fusion instrumentation throughout “Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter” provides a sweetness to the vulnerable femme fatale vocals that are powerful.

Reviewers of past Poushinsky performances and releases have remarked on her “flair for the dramatic marked by a dark, sardonic edge” (Steve Bayin, Ottawa Xpress), and liken her work to a “great piece of theatre” (Stephen Flood, Ottawa Sun) with a “hint of noir” (Fateema Sayani, Ottawa Citizen). “Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter” treads this similarly flamboyant terrain with more mass appeal. The 11 original songs are catchy, yet still remarkably complex musically and lyrically.

It’s a tricky combination, but L. Poushinsky (the ‘L’ stand for Lisa) has a talented team behind her. Esteemed sound engineer Phil Bova worked with co-producer Dave Norris and Poushinsky herself (as co-producer) to find the necessary balance. Poushinsky takes the lead on vocals, guitar and keys, with a spectacular instrumental accompaniment that includes upright bass, trumpet, trombone, banjo, violin and more.

Her band is first-rate, and includes many notable Canadian musicians, including: Adam Fogo (upright electric Zeta bass and bass guitar); Craig Pederson (trumpet); Brian Simms (electric lead guitar and b.u. vox); Brendan Allistone (electric lead guitar and b.u. vox); Mike Schultz (trombone); Ashley Newall (bass guitar and b.u. vox); Evan Runge (violin); Kader Blaine (banjo and b.u. vox), Tim Watson (drums), and even Bova chips in with hand claps, back up vocals, and maracas.

Now Poushinsky is taking her new material on the road in her CD Release tour throughout Southern Ontario. Look for Poushinsky at a town near you as she tours across Canada summer 2010, and then to Europe in 2011!