Here is Marion, one M less

Dark, vengeful, mysterious, dangerous and let alone eerie are words that nobody would have thought of using to describe Marion Raven and her friend Marit Larsen eight years ago. Back then they were collectively known as M2M and they sang ditties like Don’t Say You Love Me from the Pokemon film soundtrack or Mirror, Mirror, The Day You Went Away, Everything I Do and Pretty Boy. As M2M, the two girls from Scandinavia were phenomenally popular all over the world. They were also sweet, cute and made music for the crushable set.

Fast forward to 2005 and here is Marion again, but this time alone. She is 21 years old and making her debut as a solo artist. I do not know what has happened to Marit since M2M broke up three years ago but Marion now has her own album and it is totally different from anything she did before. The title is Here I Am and it looks like she is not wearing any top in the cover photo, just long hair to cover her boobs. Of course, she also presents sounds to match her new image.

Marion, whose songwriting prowess helped build up M2M’s immense popularity, wrote all the songs in the album but take a look at the names of those she chose to share control of the project. She collaborated with the Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, who is known for her work with Avril Lavigne and with Raine Maida of the band Our Lady of Peace for 13 Days, which was inspired a real-life fling.

There are also Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue for Heads Will Roll, Cardigans founding member Peter Svensson for Break You and Little by Little, Art Alexakis of Everclear sings with her in At the End of the Day. And then there is the greatly in-demand production team of Max Martin and Rami. These two guys worked great magic on Britney’s Oops I Did It Again and on Shape of My Heart by the Backstreet Boys. Maybe they will be able to do the same for Marion.

Here I Am, the album is rooted on the currently popular mix of rock and country music, which also means that it has ample amounts of folk, punk and power ballads. So let the rockers drive you, Get Me Out of Here and Crawl, then sing along with Here I Am and In Spite of Me, get high with Heads Will Roll and then lose yourself in the unfulfilled romance of Little by Little and the first single release, The End of Me.

Sixpence None The Richer Compilation

I do not know if the talented duo of Sixpence None the Richer have been able to reconcile their deeply-rooted religious convictions with the earthly demands of their pop star success. If they haven’t then we can take that to mean that there is a big possibility that we will never hear from them again. Just in case, this is true, then you might want to check out the well-put-together collection of their most laudable works in The Best of Sixpence None the Richer.

The compilation brings together for the first time the hits from their albums Sixpence None the Richer like Kiss Me, and Divine Discontent like Melody of You. Also included are the best cuts from the group’s early recordings like Trust from The Fatherless and the Widow, that were never released locally and also materials from motion picture soundtracks like Need to Be Next to You from the movie Bounce and I Need Love from Here on Earth.

It is still quite a treat listening to Sixpence None the Richer. Songwriter and guitarist Matt Slocum has an unusual way of putting his thoughts into words in his songs and vocalist Leigh Nash has such a unique voice that makes even the old favorites like Dancing Queen by Abba, There She Goes by La and Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House, sound like they were Sixpence None the Richer originals.

One that is sure to be of particular interest to many is the cut I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times, which sounds like something Slocum might have written about their conflicted situations. Not so. It is actually a Brian Wilson composition that Sixpence None the Richer recorded as a tribute for the legendary Beach Boy.