Being Awesome is Amy Heffernan's first full-length release, released in the second-half of last year, in late August. Amy is a Canadian-born musician who spent some time in Los Angeles before returning to Alberta. Like her debut EP, the songs on Being Awesome were written by Amy, her brother, veteran singer/songwriter Doug Heffernan, and Steve Giles. The music is infectious Rock, much like Pink or Kelly Clarkson, with a stronger musicality. I couldn't help but think Pink meets Pat Benatar meets Melissa Ethridge, with a dash of Lady GaGa, adding the complexity of structure and lyric to the usual sugary Pop-Rock. The album opens with title song, which opens with the immortal words 'Right now I'm just a drink away from being awesome.' I mean, come on, we've all been there. The following videos were shot at shows at Molly Malone's in LA.
That is immediately followed by the rocking Can't Wait, a song focusing on the fun side of life, perfect to remember those nights at a beach resort. Knowing is a great song, a slightly darker sounding rocker, with a New Wave edge. Slowing things down a touch, the mid-tempo Over Again adds some pop elements, wedding the power ballad to a strident guitar sound. Another highlight on the album is I Do, a mid-tempo ballad about one of those late-night conversations with a lover.
I Do is followed on the disk by Just Dance, a cover of the Lady GaGa song, taking the electronics away to replace them with a more rough-hewn rock edge.
Next up is Used To Be A Light, a rocker with more of a Benatar sound, the electric guitar driving the rhythm. It has this satisfying current sound with the 80s flair. Word comes on next, slowing things down with another ballad, a story of loss and breakup, without the self-pity. That is when I realized the nice thing about Amy's music is she is a strong woman who knows herself, and refuses to play the victim. The Ethridge influence isn't so much the sound, but the attitude. She's a strong woman who can easily stand on her own. In fact, in the closing song, the ballad The Enemy, she tells a lover when breaking up to go ahead and blame her if you have to, cause she has the strength to carry it, even if they can't.
Being Awesome is available on iTunes here, and well worth the purchase. You can also find out more about Amy at her website here, or visit her MySpace page here. Here is one Canadian who could take over the airwaves in the States.
