In the vortex of the January freeze, my iPod warmed my numbed extremities as I listened to Coeur de Pirate’s latest album, Trauma, the soundtrack to its Canadian television drama namesake. Trauma is a cover album that spans genres and generations. Opening with a hauntingly beautiful reworking of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Coeur de Pirate brings out the raw emotion laden in the song’s lyrics. The Rolling Stones, Nancy Sinatra, Patrick Watson, and many others are reworked and revealed as Coeur de Pirate takes on the task of retelling the tales of past songs. Pulling on heartbreak throughout the album, Coeur de Pirate creates a musical melancholy that is defined by the piercing intimacy of her vocal delivery.
