Album Review: Skye Sweetnam - Sound Soldier

So, as I was digging back into the archives of music review school assignments, I unearthed a review of Skye Sweetnam's album Sound Soldier that I wrote for my journalism class last year. Since the album hasn't changed at all over the past 8 months (much like Skye's sadly stagnant career) and Skye is still widely unknown outside her native Canada and widely underappreciated in it, I thought I'd republish the review here.

Besides, Eric Shansby gave it a 100% and called it "very mature music writing" ^^

“I am music warrior,” writes Skye Sweetnam in the liner notes for her album Sound Soldier, “defending noise in the fight against silence!” Regardless of how that battle is going, Sweetnam’s sophomore album is winning the war against pop music’s unimaginative song topics and cookie-cutter production.

The untrained eye may look at nineteen year-old Sweetnam’s pink hair and pinker lipstick and see another collection of pop fluff. But Sweetnam launches a surprise attack on such unsuspecting critics, creating a pop album that’s innovative, well-produced, and draws from a variety of musical inspirations.

Sweetnam isn’t fighting alone; The Matrix, the production team behind several hits by Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff, backs Sweetnam up on nine of the album’s 12 tracks. She is also joined by Tim Armstrong of the ska-punk band Rancid, who produced, co-wrote, and sang on two tracks.

Aside from her imaginary battles with the evil forces of silence, Sweetnam has spent the past three years fighting an uncooperative record label. Her debut album Noise from the Basement enjoyed moderate success, mostly in her native Canada and Japan. For her sophomore album, Sweetnam wrote over 60 songs with several producers. When Sweetnam was finally satisfied with the album and ready to release it, her label, EMI, was undergoing serious changes and pushed the album’s release date back three times. In the end, the album was only released in Canada and later in Japan with little promotion in either country.

It’s a shame Sound Soldier wasn’t marketed better because the album draws from an impressive variety of musical inspirations and has something for everyone. Just look at tracks 3-6 on Sound Soldier: the rap-infused pop song “Boyhunter,” the ska/surf rock hybrid “Ghosts,” the traditional pop-rocker “My Favorite Tune,” and the romantic ballad “Scary Love.”

Not only is each of the album’s tracks stylistically unique; Sweetnam’s songs also deal with some unusual topics. Boys are a major talking point, as best demonstrated by the fast-paced, hormone-infused “Make-out Song,” but there are also songs about growing up, taking chances, and... cartoon violence? “I like to live like I’m in a cartoon,” Sweetnam professes on one track. “I beatcha, beatcha brains out/That’s how I flirt.”

Sweetnam’s take on love in “Cartoon” demonstrates one thing that sets Sweetnam apart from her popstar peers: her imagination and sense of fun. Sweetnam does not want to be perceived as a “normal girl” or even your average sex symbol. On the album’s final track, “Babydoll Gone Wrong,” Sweetnam describes how she sees herself: “Sugar and a razor blade/Acid pink lemonade.” In normal terms, that translates to girly and coy on the outside, dark and formidable within. Sweetnam essentially meets both these criteria on Sound Soldier, a pop album that is danceable and sexy while remaining clever, original, and able to pack a punch. The work of a true music warrior.

You can purchase Sound Soldier and other Skye merch here.