A Reminder that Leslie Feist is a major talent

Feist's new CD The Reminder was released this week. In a word, it's phenomenal. (Don't let the fact that it's available at Starbucks scare you away.)

I don't know why Canadian singer-songwriters are so gifted, but Leslie Feist continues to live up to what I've come to expect of them. The Reminder is expansive, complex, brave, imperfect, honest.

Feist probably puts it best on "I Feel It All" when she says, "Oh, I'll be the one who'll break my heart." The album does break your heart, in the best way. It makes you want to walk/run/ride/drive in the sun, in the spring, in a place and time where you can take the whole world into your chest and push it back out as music. And I think that's exactly what Feist has done. Every song works to build a mood and conjure an atmosphere, and when the last note sounds, you can't wait to go back to the beginning and start the suffusion all over again.

To hear and see more Feist, tune in to The Tonight Show next Tuesday, May 8, or catch one of her shows. And download The Reminder, or pick it up with your next latte. You can also stream the album on MySpace.