The musicianship is brilliant (as always). Moreover, I found Raine Maida's vocals to be better than I've heard lately in Happiness... Maybe it's the tone and tempo of Naveed, but he sounds a lot more passionate, whereas in Happiness... and Clumsy he's more subdued. That isn't to say though that Happiness...was bad, because it's a beautifully complex, layered, album. Naveed just happens to be a solid, rock album that reaches levels other bands can't get to. My favorite song is Denied, the range in Maida's vocals is amazing (I find it incredibly hard to believe that some people can't stomach his singing), the album is worthy for that song alone.

For those who are only recently discovering OLP, Naveed is a good place to start. Either way, I think you have to be a true, unbiased OLP fan to shift from album to album (like myself. I've already preordered their 4th album!), or else give them all plenty of time to sink in. I've found that those who start with Happiness... or Clumsy are disappointed with Naveed because they think it's too "different" or else a clumsy (no pun intended) debut. And, those who loved OLP from the beginning, with Naveed, have trouble moving into Clumsy and Happiness...as they move into different grounds musically. Whatever the case, Our Lady Peace is a band to check out.


The starting point...   June 26, 2002
Whitey D (Wilmington, DE)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

"Hopelessly a man starts to feed your day"...the introductory line to Our Lady Peace's music as well as this album. The song itself, The Birdman, is one of the strongest on the album, with completely BLISTERING vocals and guitar line. It is an energy that OLP would never again revisit (although their following albums were just as strong if not stronger than this one). The album, produced by OLP wizard Arnold Lanni, is strongly based on the grunge movement of the early nineties. It's not to say the entire album is purely based on those roots however. Supersatellite has a funky feel, while Starseed and Dirty Walls have a more classic rock feel (almost Zeppelin-esque on the former). Most of the songs on Naveed are great strong rockers mixed with a few clunkers (Is It Safe?, Neon Crossing). But prominently, the album is great music, the strongest track being Naveed, which is a sweeping fit of emotion after emotion that leaves you thoroughly blown away. Other highlights include the aforementioned The Birdman and Starseed, Dirty Walls, the eerily Mother Love Bone-like Hope and Julia. Under Zenith is a track worth mentioning because of it's original song structure and dazzling vocal performance by Raine Maida. Denied, though not a bad track in any way, is however a little duller than most of the other material, but obviously influential to more up and coming bands. Listen to any one song on The Nixons self titled album, and it in some way reflects Denied.

In short, Naveed is a great album and a must-buy for Our Lady Peace fans. Although the style on this album was almost completely dropped in later releases, it represents a point in time of the music of Our Lady Peace, and has songs that can hold their own amongst the best in OLP's vast musical library. Enjoy this record, and as always, thanks for reading.

Dan


A legendary debut album   December 16, 1999
Zachary R Glaza (Milford, MI USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

"Naveed" is truly a legendary debut from one of the best bands to come out of Canada. While different from "Clumsy" in many ways, this album has a whole different feel to it with songs like "Denied" and "Hope" that are very emotionally driven. This is before Raine (OLP lead singer) started experimenting with high falsetto style vocals so the songs are not as abrasive as some of the tracks on "Clumsy". This album is a must buy for all rock and alternative fans.


My favorite CD to come out of 1995.   April 17, 2001
Reuben Herfindahl (River Falls, WI USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Wow. I had never heard of Our Lady Peace, until I saw them open for Van Halen. I was immediately taken by the innovative guitar work and unique singing. Yeah, they wear their infuences on their sleeve (Pearl Jam), but it's not copy cat. It's unique and innovative. They delve into minor keys and dissonecence with style. This is not new expiremental territory to them, they are masters of the underappreciate tones. Clumsy, was mainstream alternative, but Naveed is raw. Vocaly they have equaled this with Spiritual Machines, but the guitar work here steals the show, and they have never equaled it since.


Naveed   January 22, 2005
Ruby Kiss (Toledo, Ohio)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Out of my opinion...
the best OLP CD is Naveed. I own Clumsy, Happiness, Gravity, Naveed, and Spiritual Machines. I just think that nothing after the CD quite lives up to Naveed. It was by far their most innovative and angsty CD.
I definetly agree that OLP and Raine Maida are acquired tastes... but don't discard them totally. You'll be glad you tried them...
In my humble opinion, I'd spend more money on this CD than any of the other ones!