Jann Arden - Jann Arden - Live with the VSO (2002)

It's a modern wonder of the world: how is it that Jann Arden's consistently side-splitting humour never makes it into her music? That's not a dig--Arden is a fantastically gifted pop songwriter who can make loneliness seem three-dimensional. "I Would Die for You" and "Could I Be Your Girl" are tear- stained postcards to the disenfranchised. And yet, as the spoken-word bits scattered throughout Arden's Live with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra make plain, she is equal parts singer and stand-up comedian. Two monologues--one satirizing her relationship with her parents, the other detailing an outdoors mishap in her skivvies--are laugh-out-loud funny, making one wish that Arden's songs channelled that kind of energy. Nevertheless, the performances here-- recorded over two nights in early 2002--are topnotch, with Arden surveying her studio discs and adding a seasonal bonus track in "Make It Christmas Day." And while the chit-chatty parts are hilarious, fans might find themselves reaching for the Skip button by the third listen. --Kim Hughes