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Amelia Raitt is a former writer for the television program Mr. Belvedere and has been writing about pop music of all colors and stripes for eMusic since 2005. S...more »

04.22.11

Rebekah Higgs, Rebekah Higgs

2007 | Label: Outside Music / IODA

Forget Toronto. Forget Montreal. Halifax, Nova Scotia might just be the next great Canadian hub for indie rock and, if it is, count on Rebekah Higgs to be its first ambassador. Higgs plays rock the way that Emily Haines does, with a country lilt and a wandering eye towards genres far and wide. She explodes into a Broken Social Scene-frenzy on "Apples," quietly massages the keys on "Piano Song" and even duets with herself on the ethereal "Winding Watch." The wide-ranging music, however, is usually only following the lead of the lyrics: Higgs begins the record by letting us know that she "has so much to tell" us and she doesn't let up from there, tackling her love for the weatherman, an ode to her feet and that aforementioned tale of a winding watch.

Really?

While I admire her gravelly loop based electro love child upbringing... Billie Holiday? Ok then. Back to reality though Ms. Half-Assed Promote Our Artist Advertising VP/Friend of the Artist Who Feels Oblidged to Review Person ....That's not my beef though. What is the emusic top ten thing on the homepage? A to-buy list for my fellow zombies? Don't get me wrong, I've gotten some good suggestions and this girl isn't bad... I guess I need to stick to the tools to actually find out what the subscribers are thinking for me. THINK FOR ME. Check it.

Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease...

Rebekah Higgs is the delightful love child of a straight-up folk-based upbringing and a looping, psychedelic electro sample. Her voice isn�t squeaky (was Billie Holiday�s voice considered squeaky in her day?); it�s higher-pitched, yes, but it�s also textured with a gravelly playfulness that makes a deeper-voiced female vocalist like me terribly envious. Plus, if you get a chance to see RH live, DO IT. When she�s on her own up there, she makes beautiful use of a loop pedal, a Kaos Pad and her hands to create multifaceted vocal rainbows that far outshine her (only occasionally not-so-exciting) lyrics. I wasn't comparing Rebekah to Billie, by the way, I was just sayin'...and just because I'm a gifted music reviewer, it doesn't mean I've got vested interests. Yeah, and um...think for yourSELF. :P