Category Archives: 2012 Albums
The Most Successful Canadian Albums Released in 2012
The most domestically successful album from a Canadian artist released in 2012 was Sans Attendre by Céline Dion, the only one to be certified triple platinum by the end of the year. Star Académie 2012 and Justin Bieber’s Believe were both double platinum releases. Internationally, Believe was the year’s best-selling album from a Canadian artist.
There were an astounding number of albums released this year. With a sharp decline in record sales over the past few years, it is a huge honour just to score a gold album these days, something that was pretty much guaranteed for an album with a radio hit in years past. By the end of the year, 8 albums released in 2012 received gold certifications, 3 platinum, and 3 multi-platinum.
On the year-end Top 50 Canadian Albums chart, 15 were by Canadian artists, 7 of which were released in 2012. Of the seven, Star Académie 2012 enjoyed the highest position at #8. As far as the weekly Canadian Albums chart as published by Nielsen / Billboard is concerned, we count a total of 44 albums by Canadian artists that made the Top 10. Of these, 9 made it to #1.
Below is a comprehensive table of the most successful 2012 Canadian albums domestically. We will continue to update the certification figures through 2013 with letter in green. To be included in the list, an album had to fulfill at least one of the following criteria:
A. Gold certification or higher.
B. Appeared on the Top 50 year-end Billboard Canadian Albums Chart.
C. Was an Anglophone album that peaked in the Top 5 of the weekly Billboard Canadian Albums Chart.
D. Was a Francophone album that peaked in the Top 10 of the weekly Billboard Canadian Albums Chart.
| TOP CANADIAN ALBUMS OF 2012 | ||||
| TITLE | ARTIST | C | WP | YE |
| Sans Attendre | Celine Dion | 3xP | 1 | 17 |
| Star Academie 2012 | Various Artists | 2xP | 1 | 8 |
| Believe | Justin Bieber | 2xP | 1 | 9 |
| Old Ideas | Leonard Cohen | P | 1 | 16 |
| Fire It Up | Johnny Reid | P | 2 | 22 |
| Star Academie Noel | (Various) | P | 3 | |
| Adventures In Your Own Backyard | Patrick Watson | G | 2 | |
| Miroir | Marie-Mai | P | 2 | |
| Glad Rag Doll | Diana Krall | G | 2 | |
| Lead with your Heart | The Tenors | G | 3 | |
| Kiss | Carly Rae Jepsen | G | 5 | |
| Lisa LeBlanc | Lisa LeBlanc | P | 8 | |
| XX | Great Big Sea | G | ||
| Dirt | Dean Brody | G | ||
| Harmony | Serena Ryder | P | ||
| Silence on Joue | Angele Dubeau & La Pieta | G | ||
| Dead Silence | Billy Talent | G | 1 | 50 |
| Clockwork Angels | Rush | G | 1 | |
| Cabin Fever | Corb Lund | 1 | ||
| Havoc and Bright Lights | Alanis Morissette | 1 | ||
| The Sheepdogs | The Sheepdogs | G | 1 | |
| Voyageur | Kathleen Edwards | 2 | ||
| MA | Ariane Moffatt | G | 2 | |
| MixMania 3 | (Various) | 2 | ||
| Synthetica | Metric | 2 | ||
| >album title goes here< | deadmau5 | G | 2 | |
| Americana | Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 3 | 42 | |
| Dope Sick | Madchild | 3 | ||
| Confidences | Roch Voisine | 3 | ||
| Now for Plan A | Tragically Hip | G | 3 | |
| Mes amours mes amis | Paul Daraiche | P | 3 | |
| Le Québec est mort, Vive le Québec! | Loco Locass | 4 | ||
| Retour De Nos Idoles: En Spectacle! | (Various) | 4 | ||
| Transit of Venus | Theree Days Grace | 4 | ||
| Albatross | Big Wreck | 5 | ||
| A laube du printemps | Mes Aieux | 5 | ||
| The North | Stars | 5 | ||
| J’aime ta grand-mere | Les Trois Accords | 5 | ||
| Maree Humaine | Manu Militari | 6 | ||
| No. 2 | Bernard Adamus | 6 | ||
| Le Jour d-apres | Sylvain Cossette | 7 | ||
| Treizieme Etage Le | Louis-Jean Cormier | G | 8 | |
| Telle Qu’elle | Annie Villeneuve | 9 | ||
.C = Certification; WP = Weekly Peak; YE = Year-End 
Billboard Canadian 50 Albums of 2012
On Billboard’s year-end chart for 2012, we find things looking similar to last year. If fact most of the albums at the top of this year’s chart are albums released yesteryear. Adele’s 21 is at #1 and Michael Buble’s Christmas at #2. You will still find some fresher releases in the mix. Fifteen of the 50 albums are by Canadian artists, that’s 1/3 of the chart. Candian artists are in red.
| BILLBOARD CANADIAN YEAR-END ALBUMS, 2012 | ||
| POS | TITLE | ARTIST |
| 1 | 21 | Adele |
| 2 | Christmas | Michael Buble |
| 3 | Up All Night | One Direction |
| 4 | Here and Now | Nickelback |
| 5 | Under the Mistletoe | Justin Bieber |
| 6 | Sorry for Party Rocking | LMFAO |
| 7 | Babel | Mumford & Sons |
| 8 | Star Academie 2012 | Various Artists |
| 9 | Believe | Justin Bieber |
| 10 | Red | Taylor Swift |
| 11 | El Camino | The Black Keys |
| 12 | Take Care | Drake |
| 13 | Danseplus 2012 | Various Artists |
| 14 | Talk That Talk | Rihanna |
| 15 | Mylo Xyloto | Coldplay |
| 16 | Old Ideas | Leonard Cohen |
| 17 | Sans Attendre | Celine Dion |
| 18 | Overexposed | Maroon 5 |
| 19 | Storms | Hedley |
| 20 | Lioness: Hidden Treasures | Amy Winehouse |
| 21 | Bangarang (EP) | Skrillex |
| 22 | Fire It Up | Johnny Reid |
| 23 | Tuskegee | Lionel Richie |
| 24 | The Truth About Love | P!nk |
| 25 | Making Mirrors | Gotye |
| 26 | Tome 8 | Francois Perusse |
| 27 | Glee: Christmas Vol. 2 | Soundtrack |
| 28 | C’est un monde | Fred Pellerin |
| 29 | Blown Away | Carrie Underwood |
| 30 | Own the Night | Lady Antebellum |
| 31 | Some Nights | fun. |
| 32 | My Head is an Animal | Of Monsters and Men |
| 33 | Love is a Four Letter Word | Jason Mraz |
| 34 | 2012 Grammy Nominees | Various Artists |
| 35 | Someone to Watch Over Me | Susan Boyle |
| 36 | Wicked Game | Il Divo |
| 37 | Wild Ones | Flo Rida |
| 38 | L’avenire entre nous | Maxime Landry |
| 39 | Duets II | Tony Bennett |
| 40 | MDNA | Madonna |
| 41 | Heavenly Christmas | Jackie Evancho |
| 42 | Americana | Neil Young & Crazy Horse |
| 43 | Blunderbuss | Jack White |
| 44 | Living Things | Linkin Park |
| 45 | Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded | Nicki Minaj |
| 46 | …Little Broken Hearts | Norah Jones |
| 47 | One Night in Central Park | Andrea Bocelli |
| 48 | + | Ed Sheeran |
| 49 | Teenage Dream | Katy Perry |
| 50 | Dead Silence | Billy Talent |
Serena Ryder Rides into Stompin’ Harmony
Peterborough is known as the gateway to Ontario’s cottage country. Southwest of the city lies the town of Millbrook where several big-name motion pictures have been filmed and where 3-time JUNO-winning recording artist Serena Ryder grew up. Cottage culture is so ingrained into her blood, as ranches are to Albertans, that she installed cedar panels into her Toronto garage converting it into a recording studio and calling it “the cottage”. Ryder’s debut release appeared in 1999, and she has been churning out EPs and LPs since then. Her first JUNO came in 2008 for New Artist of the Year. Her best-known hit to date is perhaps “Weak in the Knees”, a gold single. Two of her albums have gone gold as well, one of which, Is It OK, won the JUNO in 2009 for Adult Alternative Album of the Year. Her 3rd JUNO was Video of the Year in 2010 for “Little Bit of Red”. Serena has just released her latest work, Harmony. Lead single, “Stompa”, has already appeared on the Hot 100. The new album showcases a more boot-stomping, joyful approach than her previous introspective folk.
Serena Ryder’s Official Website Harmony on iTunes
Flesh and Bone is the New Album from Barney Bentall
Barney Bentall has released a new album called Flesh and Bone. His cross-style genre includes bits of folk, country, and roots rock. Bentall was born in Toronto and formed a Vancouver-based group called The Legendary Hearts. Their self-titled, Bob Rock produced album in 1987 went platinum, helped no doubt by Top 20 hit “Something to Live For”. In 1989, they won the JUNO for Most Promising Group of the Year. A couple more hits followed in the 90s: “Crime Against Love” and “I’m Shattered”. Their last album was released in 1997 and Bentall decided to start a cattle ranch in BC. After nearly a decade, he began itching to get back into music and released his first solo album in 2006. Flesh and Bone is his 4th solo studio album, and it sounds like he had a blast making it. Even those not normally taken by the rootsy stuff will find this a treat. The music is very well constructed and you also get drawn into the lyrics as they tell interesting stories about life in Canada.
Barney Bentall’s Official Website Flesh and Bone on iTunes
SELF by Stef Lang
After an EP earlier this year (Fighting Mirrors) that contained radio hit “Paper Doll” and a cross-Canada tour, Ladysmith BC’s Stef Lang reflected on what was to be her next move besides being featured in two tracks off Delerium’s new album Music Box Opera. Drawing inspiration from her idols Joni Mitchell and Ron Sexsmith, Stef realized that trying to forge her style into one that fit into contemporary hit radio moulds was blistering her heart. She decided to begin crafting the kind of music that met with her own taste. The result is the new digital album Self, her second LP. Talk about a true independent trooper, Stef wrote, played, recorded, engineered and produced the album all by herself.
Before you think she’s come out with banners waving in some bizarre musical genre that would have those accustomed to the mainstream scratching their heads, Self is actually not too far off from the CHR staple. If commercial tunes are like slices of bread, Self is like a gourmet sandwich. She has taken the basic elements and created something even more wholesome and savoury.
The album opens with Stef on her signature blood-stained acoustic guitar in “Brick Wall” and the music grows into a graceful current of subtle, melancholy R&B accented with some perky funk and urban rhythms, particularly in such beautiful tracks as “Castle in the Cloud”, “For a Minute There”, and “DNA”.
If her previous works suggested Stef Lang was a talent, her new album proves that she is a musical genius. Self is not simply another good Canadian release; it is one of the best albums of 2012.
Stef Lang Official Website Listen to / Download Self Self on iTunes
Crystal Castles III by Crystal Castles
Toronto’s Crystal Castles is an experimental electronic duo consisting of Alice Glass and Ethan Krath. They released their first album in 2008 for which they received a New Group of the Year JUNO nomination and their second in 2010 which was nominated for Electronic Album of the Year. Their third album was recorded in Warsaw and mixed in London, England. The album is all about the concept of oppression which one can tell from a cursory glance at the song titles. Crystal Castles began their musical odyssey by converting classic video game sounds to song. Their new album takes us on a night visit to the torch-lit, damp, cobweb-laden corridors of Dr. Frankenstein’s castle. Glass’ scream-wailing singing sounds as if it’s echoing out from a dungeon behind a wall of synthesizers possessed by ghosts. A good, solid album. But beware: crankin’ it up just may shatter any crystal you’ve got at home.
Crystal Castles’ Official Website Crystal Castles III on iTunes
L’instant aimé by Jorane
Québec City’s Baroque-pop singer-songwriter Jorane has been called the Tori Amos of the cello; that is, classical folk pop with a dash of the avant-garde. She has received well over 20 Félix nominations, winning one for Folk Album of the Year, (Évapore), at the 2004 gala. She has also been nominated for 2 JUNOs. This is the whiz’s 10th album. She has been active since 1999. Mostly originals, the new album also contains a cover of Diane Dufresne’s “J’ai rencontré l’homme de ma vie” as well as of Indochine’s classic “J’ai demandé à la lune”. There are 2 instrumental (voice without words) tracks. The album was produced by Jean Massicotte. We’ve embedded the “teaser trailer” for the album below.
Jorane’s Official Website L’instant aime on iTunes
Celine Dion’s Sans Attendre – The Wait is Over
Céline Dion has released something like her 25th album, Sans attendre. The Charlemagne, Québec native is the best-selling Canadian recording artist of all-time. Currently, having sold 114 million records, she ranks 11th in the world. She can out sing just about anyone under the pop/rock umbrella and always has a team of the world’s best songwriters, musicians, and producers surrounding her. Therefore, you can be assured that any album she releases is going to be good, and, certainly, her new album is no exception. The album title, literally meaning “without waiting”, is explained by Celine to be about not putting off for tomorrow what you can do today.
The standard album contains 14 tracks and a deluxe edition is available with 2 additional songs. There are 3 duets with prominent male singers: legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Jean-Pierre Ferland, Johnny Hallyday (best-selling French recording artist of all-time), and Caribbean singer Henri Salvador. As the latter is no longer with us, this is a virtual duet. The first single from the album, released earlier, “Parler à mon père” peaked at #53 on the Canadian Hot 100. It is dedicated to her father who passed away several years ago. She says that her father was always her #1 fan.
To promote the album (not that she needs to), Dion appeared on a television special in Montréal recorded on October 15 and broadcast on the TVA network. She performed selections from the new album, a duet with funny man Fred Pellerin, and a medley of her hits with Star Académie contestants. This show drew 2.3 million viewers in Canada becoming the most watched of the autumn so far. She will be appearing on a TV special in France later this month (November 24). The next single released from the album will be “Le Miracle” complete with a music video.
Speaking of miracles, there is one that’s very real, and that is the miracle of Céline Dion’s voice, dazzling us in both official languages, accompanied by fabulous, world-class music. Since release, the album has been #1 on the iTunes chart. Her first studio album in 5 years, the wait for Sans attendre is over. Check it out today.
Céline Dion Official Website Sans Attendre on iTunes
New Album Releases, Batch #12-1105
Psychedelic Pill by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Neil Young needs no introduction. The man’s a legend. And we’re not even going to try determining what chronological ordinal gets placed with his new album (Wikipedia says it’s his 35th). Crazy Horse is an American rock band from Los Angeles (currently 3 members) and has released a number of albums with Neil Young over the years. Earlier this year, the collaboration released the album Americana which contained grungy roots rock reworkings of a number of traditional folk songs. Psychedelic Pill contains original compositions. Young has won 8 JUNO awards and has scored a quintuple platinum album. The Winnipegger was also the first Canadian artist to have a #1 album in the U.K., back in 1972.
iTunes Official Website
Roll by Emerson Drive
Although originally forming in Grand Prairie, Alberta, in 1995, this country band, originally known as 12 Gauge, is now based in Nashville, USA and are 3-time JUNO nominees. In recent weeks, their single “She’s My Kind of Crazy” broke into the Top 40 on the Canadian Hot 100 which is a remarkable feat for a country tune. In fact, this is their highest charting single to date. Roll, the 5th studio album under their current monicker, was released last week. The album opener is “Let It Roll”, a collaboration with Manitoba’s Doc Walker.
iTunes Official Website
Everything Is Expensive by Esthero
Perhaps known best for her mid-2000s hits like “Fast Lane”, the 2-time JUNO nominee from Toronto has released her 3rd studio album, Everything Is Expensive. Many of Esthero’s songs have been featured in Hollywood movies and TV series, and Nelly Furtado counts her as a big influence in her music. Moreover, because of her great vocals, she has been featured in songs by a number of popular international artists. In 2010, Esthero was one of the artists invited to be a soloist in the charity single for Haitian earthquake relief “Wavin’ Flag”. After working with Toronto’s Dylan White in his Cedar Park project, she began work on a new album. The first single was “Never Gonna Let You Go” which made the Canadian Hot 100. The album also contains “Walking on Eggshells” written by Jon Levine and Anjulie.
iTunes Official Website
Lead with Your Heart by The Tenors
The (Canadian) Tenors is a quartet consisting currently of Remigio Pereira, Victor Micallef, Fraser Walters, and Clifton Murray. They perform classical pop of a mixture of covers and original songs. They are becoming quite well known internationally. Lead with Your Heart is their third album. Their first two achieved platinum sales. The Tenors were assembled by Jill Ann Siemens who sought exceptional male vocalists, not only sounding good individually but as a mix in singing together. The first group formed in Victoria in 2005, and they began going through a number of lineup changes. The Tenors’ first self-titled album was released in 2008, their rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” becoming the most popular track. A Christmas album followed in 2009, The Perfect Gift. They toured with David Foster and performed with Céline Dion. The new album contains with songs in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, and features a contribution by internationally renowned trumpeter Chris Botti.
iTunes Official Website
R.E.V.O. (EP) by Walk off the Earth
Who can forget that cool one-guitar cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”? It peaked at #13 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified a platinum single. Burlington, Ontario is famous for its Spencer Smith Park Ribfest. And now it’s becoming known for its mouth-watering 5-member folk-reggae outfit Walk off the Earth that has released an EP called R.E.V.O. with 4 new songs. The band is known for playing musical instruments seldom used in pop music. Their first album came out in 2007. This is their third release and was produced by the eminent Tawgs Salter.
iTunes Official Website
Music Box Opera by Delerium
Bill Leeb was involved with Skinny Puppy in Vancouver and then created his own project, Front Line Assembly with Michael Balch. While developing this group, they decided to initiate a side-project that would perform a more ambient, lighter style of electronica. They called this project Delerium. After their debut album, Faces, Forms & Illusions in 1989, Balch departed from both projects, and Leeb hooked up with Rhys Fulber releasing more albums under the Delerium name. Perhaps feeling that their vocal talents were not up to par, they recruited a number of featured singers, mostly female, and some of them big names in the business. Guest vocalists have included the regular Kristy Thirsk, Sarah McLachlan, The West End Girls’ Camille Henderson (the daughter of Chilliwack frontman Bill), and Metric’s Emily Haines.
In 1994, things picked up when they were signed to Nettwerk Records and 1997’s Karma was their first gold album and contained two of the band’s best known tracks. “Euphoria” won for the band its first of two JUNO awards. “Silence”, featuring Sarah McLachlan, regarded by some as one of the best trance recordings of all time, did not become a hit until 2000 after it was remixed. It topped the charts in Ireland, made it to the Top 5 in Canada and the U.K., and won the JUNO for dance recording of the year. Poem, another gold album, followed in 2000 and included “Aria” that featured The Mediæval Bæbes. 2003’s Chimera became the outfit’s only JUNO-nominated album. Until now, Delerium’s last studio album was Nuages du Monde, released in 2006. It appeared that the project had come to an end. Not at all; Delerium has returned with its first original studio album in 6 years, Music Box Opera.
The vocalists on this work include Stef Lang (2 tracks), Nadina, Michael Logen, Jael, the ever-reliable Kristy Thirsk, Leona Naess, Anna-Lynne Williams, and Azure Ray. With a dozen tracks and a run time of well over an hour, you know you’re in for a treat. You will hear Arabic-style chants interlaced in electronic cascades, intergalactic pop, down tempo lounge beats, ballroom grand pianos, percolating synths, some Indian percussion, ground shaking bass, and sparks of bright amidst a thin sheet of darkness, like dancing glitter on black water. On all counts, Music Box Opera is a winner.
If it took six years for a music box to transform itself into a grand opera, then it was well worth the wait.
Ingrid St-Pierre’s L’escapade, a Getaway into Canadian Autumn
Ingrid St-Pierre was new on the scene in 2011 and received a trio of 2012 Félix nominations. She has now already released her second LP. In her childhood she developed a fondness for poetry and often wrote lines of verse in her school notebooks. She learned piano and began creating music for her poetry at 17 years of age. Ten years later, armed with a piano and a recruited string quartet, Ingrid began captivating audiences in cafés around Trois-Rivières. She released her debut album, Ma petite mam’zelle de chemin, in May 2011. The enchanting MV for “Ficelles” is embedded below.
Ingrid’s genius has been described as charming, candid, and intelligent.
She has now released her second baby, L’escapade, continuing her signature style of a delicate, sweet, and pretty melancholy. She says that the album is all about the autumn and is enjoyed best while wearing some wool and eating some toffee. Ingrid has embarked on a tour to promote the album with dates until May 2013, mostly in Québec and New Brunswick. Bursting with creativity, she is planning to write a book of short stories and compose music for film.
You can check out her new album on iTunes HERE. Ingrid St-Pierre’s Official Website.
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