Lost At Sea: My Review of Heather Nova's "300 Days At Sea"

Heather Nova

This is the first time in more than fifteen years that I have purchased a Heather Nova album.  And that is something since her music was so important to me all through the '90s.

In the mid-90s, a plethora of female folk singers emerged.  When I first heard of Heather Nova - along with her breakthrough single "Walk This World" - I remember that I confused her with Jewel, because they both broke onto the scene around the same time.  Who could blame me for my confusion?  Two blonde hippie chicks with guitars.  Now it is laughable that I ever confused them.

Around 1996, my wife and I moved to our Arizona ranch, off grid, with no neighbors for miles.  My older brother, who lived in Salt Lake City, and, hence, had better access to new music than me, sent me a mix tape.  There were some Heather Nova songs on there.  They were raw, angry, and haunting.  This was not Jewel.  My next trip to the city, I bought her sophomore album, "Oyster".  This immediately became one of my favorite albums.  I still consider it one of the best albums of the '90s, if not the best.  What's not to like?  A sandy-haired beauty from Bermuda, singing poignant pieces like "Island", a bittersweet piece with her breathy voice, an acoustic guitar, and a cello.  It was magical.

Over the next several years, I kept up with Heather Nova with her next couple of albums.  But then I lost touch.  She lost much of her audience in the States, but continued to be popular in Europe.  So I decided to check out her newest album, "300 Days At Sea", which came out in 2012.

Right away, I must state that this is a really good album.  But it is not "Oyster".  It lacks the intensity, the rawness, the magic of "Oyster".  "Oyster" will remain one of my favorite albums of all time.  But "300 Days At Sea" will never occupy that slot.  It will never be more than a good listen that I break out every now and then.

Don't get me wrong.  It is a good album.  But how do you top perfection?  There are some really good moments.  The album starts off with a beautiful pop seashell called "Beautiful Ride".  Other notables are "Save a Little Piece of Tomorrow", "Higher Ground", and "Do Something that Scares You".  This album is chock-full of seafaring metaphors in the lyrics, which is appropriate since she grew up on a boat.  The only songs that approach the greatness of "Oyster" are the acoustic pieces "Everything Changes" and "Stay".  These two songs possibly make the entire album worth it.

It is possibly impossible to expect our favorite artists to maintain any level of perfection.  But it is nice to know that I can get lost at sea with a masterpiece, "Oyster".