Music Review: Melanie Doane - A Thousand Nights

Special and lovingly crafted. This is how I would describe Melanie Doane's latest release.

I've been a fan of Doane's for awhile now ever since I had seen her open up for Great Big Sea on their Turn tour, and I thought she was terrific with a unique style and destined for stardom. So, it was no surprise that I had been patiently anticipating her new released once it was announced.

A Thousand Nights has a nice concept attached to it. Having recently had a child, Doane looked at having a record of songs that could be played to children without their parents getting tired of them quickly due to repeated listening, enduring "A Thousand Nights" of repeating listening if you will.

And Doane delivers, no pun intended, a beautiful album. The album is made up mostly of covers, but the choices are inspired, and the arrangements well done in her unique style, all very mellow. Melanie gives them fresh new takes, such as the beautiful version of Fleetwood Mac's Songbird, featuring Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo. It has to be heard to be believed. Among other beautiful gems are Leonard Cohen's Song of Bernadette, Tom Petty's Wildflowers, The Everly Brother's Devoted to You, Bruce Cockburn's All The Diamonds, Tom Waits' Martha, and Baby Makes Three, a very beautiful composition of her own.

This has become one of my favourite albums of the year. I highly recommend it.

www.melaniedoane.com

Music: Great Big Sea - Fortune's Favour

After having finally picked it up after waiting a few months, I've listened through it. Gotta say, meh. It's not that I'm disappointed, because it has a great production, and in terms of albums, I think this is probably their best since Turn.

Perhaps it's because I haven't seen them in concert in ages or something, but I'm having a hard time finding enthusiasm for this album. I'm finding there's a certain disconnect. I knew this album would be different, but I'd have expected at least a song or two to click, but at this stage, none have. And Walk on the Moon, which I thought sounded out of place when first hearing it as a single, continues to sound out of place on the album. Sounds more like a song that would have fit on Something Beautiful instead. I continue to have the opinion that it was the wrong song as a first single as it doesn't fit the style of production they had going for the entire album, which is a more "take it by the horns" approach. Maybe the songs will grow on me.

If there's one good thing about the album is that it sounds like the energy is back. The one complaint I had about Sea of No Cares and Something Beautiful, is that they were too perfect sounding, that all the energy had been sucked out of the songs. Not so here, and Alan tends to sound like a completely different animal, no pun intended.

Overall, I'm not overly impressed. Though, perhaps it will grow on me. With each new GBS album though, I tend to feel as though GBS isn't for me anymore. Maybe they will be for you. Ironically, this is probably the album that will finally net them a Juno award.


www.greatbigsea.com

Northern Lights Festival 2008

Every year, we have a local music festival. It's quite big and attracts a lot of artists, and is talked about at every major festival. I've been to it in previous years, but only on seperate days and never a full weekened.

This year, I changed that and decided that a full weekend was in order. For $60, it's quite a bargain, with all the acts that one gets to see.

So, what made me do the full weekend? It was when it was announced that the festival had secured Don McLean. Wait, back up a minute. Did I say Don McLean? Yes, actually I did. I couldn't quite believe it when I first heard it. I mean, why would he come to a small town, him of all people? This was probably the biggest act the festival ever managed to secure. Well, biggest in recent years in any case.

So I paid my ticket and went with a friend and it's going to be hard to top next year.

Among the highlights were The Sadies, Two Hour Traffic, John Doe with The Sadies, Damien Robitaille, People Project, Daniel Bélanger, Sharon & Bram (yes), Mike Ford, The Great Lake Swimmers, Ian Tamblyn, and of course Don McLean, who I pleaded to not let the music die.

More later

Music Review: The Wailin' Jennys - Firecracker

Every once in awhile, a record comes along that makes you sit up and take notice at a band you may never have paid attention to before. The Wailin' Jennys' latest release, Firecracker is one such release.

This is their second release, with one of the forming members, Annabelle Chvostek leaving the band; Heather Masse coming in to fill in for a critical 3rd voice. Gone are their celtic stylings that were apparent in the first release, and in with a more country-ish flavour that hint at the early style of country that is missing from many current country releases in favour of pop/rock oriented country.

When I first heard one of the songs, I was hooked and knew I had to get the record. Their 3 voices blend wonderfully and produce many haunting harmonies, on songs such as 'A Long Time Traveller'. I have to say, I think my favourite songs on the record are 'Begin' and 'Some Good Thing', but as always when a record is so good, it's hard to pick out the anything.

This record is not just a good country/folk record, but also a very good record in general for music lovers. It's a cracker of a record, one full of fire.

Album: The Wailin' Jennys - Firecracker
Label: Red House (US), Festival Destribution (Canada)
Release Date: June 6, 2006
Bonus Material?: No
Site: http://www.thewailinjennys.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thewailinjennys

Music Review: Sarah Mclachlan - Wintersong

Before I begin, I'd like to say, that while I liked Sarah Mclachlan's music in the past, I've never actually owned one of her albums until now.

It all started when I first saw one of her performances of Joni Mitchell's River a few weeks ago from her new Christmas album, and I knew it was something special from then on. Next was this week's free itunes download of her version of Silent Night, which had an Enya quality to it. I then knew I had to get this album.

So, now I have my first Sarah Mclachlan album, and as it so happens, it's probably the best Christmas album to be released this year. None of that tacky selection of Christmas songs like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer or Santa Clause is Coming to Town are on the album. Sarah Mclachlan explains that she despises the commercialism of Christmas, and she chose songs that reflected Christmas as a celebration of Christ instead of a symbol of commercialism. As such, the album has more of a personal touch to it, and you can see that the album has been a labor of love for her. It's also quite a deep album as many of the songs are sung with melancholy. One would think that as a Christmas album, the songs should be cheerful and upbeat, but the reality is, that life isn't so cheerful, and one often wonders if we'll be together for the next holiday. That's what Sarah Mclachlan tries to show through her singing, and in the end, it brings a sense of hope to the whole situation in a way that a cheerful Christmas album might not possible.

The arrangements are quite interesting and not always what you would expect. For example, the first time I heard Greensleeves, I thought it was a completely different song. The melody isn't the same as we know, rather it seems like an entirely different melody wrapped around the same lyrics. It changes the mood of the song entirely into one that is darker, but in its own way, it is beautiful.

Along with covers of Joni Mitchell's River, there's also a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's Song for a Winter's Night and the Charlie Brown Christmas favourite, Christmas Time is Here. All in all, along with her original Wintersong, her covers and her interpretations of the classics, it's really quite a remarkable album that manages to convey artistic expression as well as keeping in check the true reason for the Christmas season.

NOTE: I should mention that there have been videos released around the same time featuring songs from this album. They have her singing while playing a piano. These aren't the same versions of the songs that are on the album and the instrumentation on those featured songs are different.

Album: Sarah Mclachlan - Wintersong
Label: Arista /Sony Music Canada
Release Date: October 17th, 2006
Bonus Material?: No
Site: http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/
Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/sarahmclachlan

Music Review: The Duhks - Migrations

One Two Three Four, Run to the store! The Duhks have a new album and it's a sweet one!

That's right. I put in an order at Amazon on the week of its release in September and got it the first week of this month. I was a little impatient that it would take so long. But, I have to say, it really was worth the wait.

When I first got their self titled debut earlier this year which was released last year, I quickly fell in love with it, and so when I heard that they had a new album coming out this year, I both was really excited and had a little of trepidation. The trepidation was because I wasn't sure if they'd pull off such an excellent album as their debut, because as is often the case, followups aren't always as great, sometimes due to a producer change and a different vision that that producer has. Vision changes can be good, but they can also be disastrous. Well, in this case, there is a producer change this time around, but thankfully the vision stayed the same. The only thing that has really changed is the slicker production. Slicker production doesn't always work as sometimes it takes away from energy and art of the songs, but here, it works as all that was really done was give the songs more of a velvety feeling if that makes any sense. There is more bass to the songs this time around to make them stand out more.

So, how does this one compare to their self titled debut? It's actually quite a really standout album. I'm not sure if it will ever nudge the self titled debut out of my favourite spot, but there are some really stellar tracks on this album, and I would have to say which album is my favourite that came out this year, I'd easily pick this one. In fact, If anyone asks me what Canadian culture is like, I'd hand them a copy of this album and say that this pretty much sums it up.

Canadian culture is quite a mix, and a mix that we aren't afraid to show and it shows a lot in our music. In this album, you have a cook pot of Métis, French-Canadian, Acadian, and even some Cajun and Zydeco which the title of the album seems to imply (If one has any doubt, Cajun is a degeneration of Canadian while Zydeco is a degeneration of the french Les Haricot, which is the french for green beans, all deriving from Lousiana).

Many stand out tracks on the album, including a cover of Tracy Chapman's Mountain O' Things, a celtic song called Three Fishers sung by the beautifully voiced Tania Elizabeth, and Who Will Take My Place? about an Irish patriot, which is probably my favourite on the album as it's beautiful and poignant.

Starting with this review, I'll be posting the lyrics to the song that catches me most on an album, and that one happens to be Who Will Take My Place.

Who Will Take My Place?
Written by Dan Frechette

If they shoot me down to shut me down
Who will take my place?
If they bring an army into this town
Who will take my place?
if they rule this land and silence me
When I'm laid out with injury
When my words won't matter much anymore
Who will take my place?

Revolution, you are not my own
Who will take my place?
There are flowers painted on those stones
Who will take my place?
When the silence of oppression dies
Overheard beyond the battle cries
Are the words of final compromise
Who will take my place?

When the dogs of war are on the land
Who will take my place?
When you forfeit life to take a stand
Who will take my place?
When the dreamers fear the simplest thoughts
When the bloodshed takes all that you've got
When this world's an empty, creaking floor
Who will take my place?

If they rule this land and silence me
When I'm laid out with injury
When my words won't matter anymore
Who will take my place?
Who will take my place?

---

Again, I repeat, One Two Three Four, Run to the store! The Duhks have a new album and it's a sweet one!

Album: The Duhks - Migrations
Label: Sugarhill Records
Release Date: September 13th, 2006
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.duhks.com
Myspace page: www.myspace.com/theduhks

Music Review: Lennie Gallant - When We Get There

Been awhile hasn't it? I have to be honest. I haven't had much to post about ever since my trip. I guess I should have spaced that out more since I knew I wouldn't have that much material until a future purchase. I did promise some full length reviews of the albums I bought on the trip though. So, we'll start with this one.

Lennie Gallant. What can I say, but When We Get There. It's surprising that a singer-songwriter of his talent isn't more well known, even across Canada. What I mean by that is, I would put him in league with singers such as Gordon Lightfoot and Jimmy Rankin, and Ron Sexsmith. Yes, he is that good. At first I didn't really think much of it, but it's grown on me a lot and I find it to be one of my favourite albums that I've bought this year. I think it's destined to become a classic.

The songs are beautiful, and just the kind of songs that should be hits on the radio, but somehow aren't. The kind of songs that make you wonder just what are actually considered "hits" anymore. The kind of songs that make you wish that there were more of.

Album: Lennie Gallant - When We Get There
Label: Universal Records (Canada)
Release Date: 2005
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.lenniegallant.com

The Trip: Loot

Well, I picked up quite a bit of stuff during my trip, mainly in music and books. I'll list them here with a sentence or two, where I'll save bigger descriptions for later when I actually get to read them.

First stop was when I was in Ottawa. We headed to the Chapters in the market, the one that's two stories big. Wow, I had fun in there. Didn't think I'd spend so much time in there, but we spent nearly 2 hours there, maybe 3. It was almost too easy to get lost and get tempted to keep picking up more books. So, here's what I got there.

System of the World by Neal Stephenson: This is the book that finishes the Baroque Cycle. It's volume 3 of 3. Finally I have them all.

Kydd by Julian Stockwin: Saw this new series on the bookshelf and thought I might as well give it a try. It's a new series in the lines of Horatio Hornblower by C.S Forester and Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. In other words, napoleonic era, which I like.

Star Trek Titan (book 2): The Red King: You'll remember I read Titan: Taking Wing earlier this year, and I thought they were well written, so I picked up The Red King, and Orion's Hounds.

Star Trek Titan (book 3): Orion's Hounds: You'll remember I read Titan: Taking Wing earlier this year, and I thought they were well written, so I picked up The Red King, and Orion's Hounds. Yes, I did this on purpose. You're not experiencing double vision.

King Jerry by David Arnason: Picked this up in the bargain section. Couldn't resist. Well, who wouldn't when it's priced at $2.99. It's essentially a modern retelling of King Lear. The book says itself "A satirical modern-day version of King Lear set in a western-Canadian university English Department. "

Now for the music. Well, when we were in Quebec, on our way back, that is, we went to View Quebec and stopped in at Archambaud, which I think I mentioned in my original post. This store is a treasure of a store for finding french music, and has 3 floors! A bit on the pricy side, but then I'll take that over not being able to find them at all. Over there, I found at least two CDs I wouldn't even have had the chance of finding in Ontario, and I found them so easily.

C'est Ici Que Je Veux Vivre - Marie-Michèle Desrosier: Got this one and decided to give it to my Mom as it has many old french Quebec songs by other artists on this. I thought that she would like it more than me considering that. It was so easy to find to and I didn't have very much trouble at all finding it. In fact, one could say that it found me. I went to one corner of the store and it was just there, staring at me. Funny how that goes.

Plus Grand Que Les Mots - Les Muses: Wow, I had been looking for this one ever since I'd seen them on the East Coast Music Awards two years ago. Ask about them in Ontario, and you get weird looks and people wondering if you're thinking of Muses, Throwing Muses, or other bands using that word. In other words, it didn't exist to them. This is truly an awesome record. Beautiful french songs, with very clear words, which is quite rare as recordings aren't always too clear and sound compressed. It's beautiful even if you don't speak french.

When We Get There - Lennie Gallant: The only non-french album that I got while there. It's really quite a good album. It's my first of his and he's a great songwriter. Good songs.

Canadian Music is Disappearing

Picture the scenario of someone walking into a record store, money in hand, and coming back out with that money still intact. You might wonder of course, why that money is still not spent. It might either be that they're out of stock of what you're looking for, or that the artist is no longer in their list of artists to stock.

That person was me. Just today, went to Music World to planned on getting something I had been eyeing for many months. I scanned the rack of CDs, trying to find what I wanted: Melanie Doane. I had found her quite easy to find in the past, so I was quite surprised that I couldn't find it. A clerk came to ask if I needed help, and I told him what I was looking for and he went to check "the book" once I told him the correct spelling of her last name. Came back and told me they don't stock her anymore. Huh? Asked why, and the answer came back that it didn't sell well enough. Ok, sure. Last I knew, she sold well enough.

Fine then, I figure I'll try something else I'd been eyeing that was easy to find in the past. And you know what? Same deal here. And then I start voicing my disappointment to the clerk. Met another clerk, this time a lady that understood my plight and thought the decision to no longer stock them was a stupid one. Can't argue there.

It seems as if all the music that I like and interested in is disappearing. It's not just one band, but two out of the two I had been looking for that I could no longer find. These are not the biggest money makers, I'm sure, but as I said in my previous post on this subject, how is a smaller band supposed to make money if the albums aren't in stock? A lot of these smaller bands need the bigger chains to support them due to their smaller influence. Some of these Canadian bands only tour specific provinces or areas and hardly venture out of it and the support from these big stores means more of a chance for someone who might not be familiar with their music to become aquainted with them. Example: Band might not tour selected location, but at least I can enjoy their music and hope that in the future they decide to tour further out. But with these stores cutting their support, it means less of a chance of success for these smaller bands, not to mention those that can't even get stocked in the first place that deserve a chance.

It seems that more and more with the experience that I've been having, that Canadian bands are disappearing from the shelves, in favour of bigger, more promising acts, that will probably just end up fading away in the next 2 or so years, and by that I mean both bigger Canadian and American acts that are pushing the smaller ones away. There ought to be some of the same Canadian Content Regulations put in place that the Radio and TV abide to that give smaller bands a fairer chance, even if those albums don't quite sell as much as the bigger bands. We need some protection for these artists.

So, while I am interested in buying this music, it seems foolish that these stores not make it available for those with money in hand. I would gladly pay money for something I want that is in stock. Is that so hard to do? I'm starting to feel frustrated and depressed that I can't find the music I want, and I feel it's the start of an ugly trend. Of course, it could just be that I'm just too out of touch with what I'm supposed to want, right? What's a poor guy supposed to do? Obviously, walk right back out with the money still intact.

Music Review: Spirit of the West - Star Trails

As promised, here's another review, this time of the same band as the last. Won't happen often, I'm sure, but nevertheless, here it is. This time around, it's Star Trails, their latest release and is my first studio album of theirs.

As I said in the last review, I'd been meaning to get an album from this band and Hit Parade was a great way to sample their wide range of music styles from their different albums, and now that that is done, it was time for me to pick up a studio album. I mainly wanted to get this one first because it had caught my eye. Beautiful cover isn't it? In essence, it captures the name of the band perfectly. Here we have tents lit up at a star party in Northern Canada, possibly at one of the big summer Star Parties that happen every year. Time lapse photography has caught the star trails using a long exposure of many hours. And on the horizon, the greenish glow is not nuclear fallout due to a failing nuclear power plant, but an Aurora Borealis, something which is very distinctive to the north. The further north someone goes, the better chance of seeing an Aurora you'll get. And in some native communities, Auroras are considered to be the doing of spirits. So, as you can see, with this cover being as catchy as it is, it also has quite a bit of meaning towards the band's name. A well chosen picture for their cover.

Well, enough talking about the cover. Onto the music! So, how does it stack up? Well, I'd have to say in general, the whole album has a sort of retro 80's feel to it. I'm not sure why, but whenever I listen to it, I certain vibe from it that feels like something from that era. There are certain songs that sound like more modern of course, but there are also some songs that sound like they'd almost been done before, and songs that sound like they're from other bands of the 80's like Chicago. Perhaps it's simply the style they chose to do them in, but I can easily picture Chicago doing some of the songs on this CD, particularly 'King of Scotland' which sounds like a signature Chicago song. And the song 'July' is something I swear I heard before by a different band but, again that probably is just attributed to the style itself. Overall, I was a bit disappointed in the CD in that it sounds kind of familiar but isn't, almost like a deja-vue. Maybe I expected too much after hearing the fantastic Hit Parade and was spoiled by the range of style in that one, but it left me a bit to be desired. Does that mean it's not a good CD? Of course not. I still like it, but not as much as I hoped I would.

Album: Spirit of the West - Star Trails
Label: Universal Records (Canada)
Release Date: 2004
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.sotw.ca

Music Review: Spirit of the West - Hit Parade

It's been awhile since my last review and I've been meaning to post something, so I won't delay any longer.

Spirit of the West has quickly become one of my favourite bands over the years, but I hadn't actually bought an album of theirs until recently. I'm not sure which song I heard first. It was either "Home for a Rest" or "And If Venice is Sinking". But by either one, I was hooked!

"Home for a Rest" is one of my favourite drinking songs, and is often mis-attributed to Great Big Sea. Funny thing, considering these bands sound nothing alike aside from their Celtic roots. Sometimes I wish Great Big Sea would just cover it to get it over with and say that they've actually done it.

"And If Venice is Sinking" is a beautiful love song in the style of romantic ditties of the venitian era, complete with accordion, as well as a tuba as bass. Essentially, it's about wanting to stay in Venice even if it sinks and going under with it, since it's so beautiful.

I'd been searching for the best album to get and I'm pleased to say that this is a great introduction to the band (I've bought another of their albums since) and these favourites are just a few of the many good songs on this album, including orchestral versions of "And If Venice is Sinking" (as if it wasn't beautiful enough!) and a few others. And if you haven't guessed by now, this band isn't a polka band like the cover would seem to suggest, but rather a Celtic based band, which has progressed into more of a rock band, and this album showcases the range of songs that they have very well. It definitely is a great album to have.

So, what are you waiting for? Don't walk, but run to the store to pick up a copy!

Album: Spirit of the West - Hit Parade
Label: Warner Music Canada
Release Date: 1999
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.sotw.ca

How the Canadian Music Industry Smells

Ohhhh! He lives! Actually I've been engrossed reading Neal Stephenson's The Confusion and I haven't really bought any music recently, save for the Ray movie soundtrack and Spirit of the West's Hit Parade. So, as you can see, I haven't actually had much material to go on, especially since The Confusion is such a long book. But I haven't forgotten about this blog, which is why I'm making this post in the first place. I'll actually maybe review Hit Parade, but not the Ray soundtrack, because technically, what is there to review about it?

Ok, so I actually went out to buy some music today, so more material to review! But before I mention what I got, I've got a story. I went to the biggest music store there is in town. It's basically the only big chain store we have in the city anymore, and they usually carry lots of things that the other stores like Walmart and Futureshop don't. Well, I talked to a worker there who helped me try to find what I wanted. I first asked for Carbon Leaf. He goes to look for it in their index, but nah, he can't find it. I was surprised considering how big the band is down south, and that their latest album was actually released both in the US and Canada. He tells me that the chain won't put anything on the list unless the corporation recognizes it. So, essentially, you'll only find the already established bands. Big deal, right? Well, next, I asked about an up and coming Canadian band called the Clumsy Lovers. Awesome band, awesome music. Sorry, but can't find the album! You guessed it, because the corporation doesn't recognize them and they aren't on the list. How frustrating is that? I really want to support the band by buying the music, but I can't find it anywhere, and they aren't exactly an indie band. They're signed by Reprise Records, the same label that signed the Barenaked Ladies! I'm there in front of this worker wondering how new bands are supposed to become recognized and have their fans buy their albums. Man, it's frustrating to me just thinking about it. It must be doubly frustrating for the bands themselves! What a stupid policy! What's even worse is, this guy told me the store is not allowed selling albums of local bands, even if they know they're doing well, because, you guessed it, they aren't in the index. Hmmmphh! So, how the heck are bands supposed to make it in this industry? Yes folks, the Canadian Music Industry stinks! That's how it smells. S. T. I. N. K. S. Well, anyway, I did manage to find something I wanted. I was disappointed that I couldn't find Carbon Leaf and the Clumsy Lovers, despite how good these two bands aren't getting the support they deserve. I as I was scanning the CDs on the racks, I realized in the back of my mind that I did have another album in mind that I wanted, so I ended up walking out with Spirit of the West's Star Trails, their newest album. I did actually pay for it before walking out though ;)

Speaking of what stinks, anybody watched the Junos this weekend? Apparently it was the first time broadcast worldwide, and could be watched in the US on MTV and VH1. Of course, they needed worldwide recognized talent for that to happen and make people watch. But I tell you, Pamela Anderson just didn't cut it. She was probably one of the worst hosts the Junos ever had. She looked like she felt out of place , trying to remember who's who in Canada and who that upcoming talent is because of being in the US for so long. She looked disconnected from her reality. And then she drops the bomb while everyone boos her. She had made a poor tasteless joke about the seal hunt. Frankly, I think Mrs Anderson shouldn't be making jokes like that when she's been so out of touch with Canada and happy to be living down south. She was in Halifax afterall, one of the centers of the seal hunt. It was almost like a slap in the face to Canadians. "Hi Canada! Glad to be here! *SLAP!*"

Well, if Pamela Anderson wasn't bad enough, these Junos also had to count on American talent like Coldplay to get viewers. Not a bad idea on paper, but I'd far much rather see Canadian talent pulling in viewers. It is, after all a Canadian music awards show. Stop worrying so much about what the US will think, just showcase our talent! There are a lot of Canadian bands out there that deserve being watched by millions of US viewers, but instead that spotlight is being taken by an American band. This is Canada afterall, not the US, and I find the use of American talent to be pretty denigrating to Canadian talent, as if to say, our talent can't hold itself up, can't be counted on. What happened to the Canadian content regulations? They should have been put more into use here. I'd really hate to see the Junos become US-Centric and lose itself as a Canadian music awards show. But then again, it's not like it really matters does it? Do the awards really matter? Afterall, as a friend said, Great Big Sea, having been nominated for 12 years will have to change their biography to state that they are "twelve time juno losers". Yes, 12 years of being snubbed, folks. But in there, there's something to be proud of. There's a band that still makes money; people buying their albums, going to their shows, year after year getting snubbed. The by's are probably sitting around and saying: "Guys, look at all our fans! We don't need the Junos to tell us we're good!" After all, does anyone really remember Alannah Myles? She cleaned out the Junos in the 80's. Says a lot doesn't it?

Music Review: Michelle Doyle

It's the 1930's. Smoke is swirling around you. You're sitting at a table eating dinner at a cabaret where sultry notes can be heard from a sexy singer on stage. In one word, you could say the atmosphere is mellow.

This is exactly the experience one gets when they play Michelle Doyle's album. It transports you to an era where you could just relax and enjoy the music for what it is. It's produced by her big brother Alan Doyle (of Great Big Sea) who also co-wrote some songs. Among the songs are some soft jazz, some pop ballads and a cover a Mary Chapin Carpenter song. She really has a great and powerful voice that puts you right in the mood. Sometimes, like in Darkest Stranger, she even reminds me of Pat Benatar.

All in all, it's a stellar debut album, and if her other albums are as good as this one is, I think we'll be in for quite a treat. The only thing that would have detracted me from buying this album would have been the fact that it's only available online and not in record stores, at least as far as the rest of Canada is concerned. I got this one as a Christmas gift.

Album: Michelle Doyle
Release Date: 2004
Bonus Material?: No
Site: http://www.michelledoyle.com/

Music Review: The Duhks

Remember, how I've been wishing Nickel Creek would someday tour Canada? Well, The Duhks are a new Bluegrass band from Canada and are the closest thing we have to Nickel Creek at the moment.

The group describes themselves as "contemporary acoustic," "progressive soul-grass," and “kick-ass rock/folk fusion”, and it is a hell of an energetic mix that these talented musicians put out. I find myself tapping my feet at the reels, like a marionette on strings, meaning that it's that infectuous.


The lead singer's voice is full of soul, something that one hardly gets out of a bluegrass band, yet she also evokes the old-tyme type of bluegrass voice at the same time. Though these songs are not necessarily all bluegrass. For example, there is one song that resembles old style French-Canadian/Acadian folk songs, and the singer on that one sings it so well, complete with the vocal intonation style of the time, that one would think it were an old-time classic, yet it is an original.

This is clearly a Canadian styled Bluegrass band. A lot of influences here are like Canada itself, with its many languages and ethnicities, including salsa, blues, old-time, celtic, scots-metis, with its band members of different backgrounds and it creates a truly different sound. If we look at Nickel Creek for the moment, we notice that the band has a lot of jazz influences, which is mainly a creation that started out in the states. But even so, it's interesting to note the crossroads between celtic, bluegrass and jazz come together. New Orleans was/is like a hub for all of them, so it's not entirely unplausible that Nickel Creek got some of their influences in jazz. At the same time, The Duhk's influences are entirely Canadian. Well, aside from maybe some American bluegrass bands.

If one could choose a band for Nickel Creek to tour Canada with, The Duhks would be the perfect opener. In fact, it's said that Chris Thile of Nickel Creek is a fan of The Duhks. So, you never know! Maybe on Nickel Creek's next album tour, they'll tour Canada with The Duhks as their opener. We can always wish of course. It's just Ducky!

Album: The Duhks - The Duhks
Label: Sugarhill Records
Release Date: January 2005
Bonus Material?: Yes (Enhanced CD)
Site: www.duhks.com
ecard: http://www.sugarhillrecords.com/ecard/theduhks/

Music Review: Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die?

Time for another album review! This time from another favourite band of mine, Nickel Creek.

Nickel Creek hail from California and I've been a fan of them since I discovered them when they were making publicity for their previous album, This Side. Their music is described as progressive bluegrass. Progressive because it just doesn't do them justice to label them as bluegrass alone. They aren't your daddy's bluegrass. Neither is it the kind of bluegrass you'd find on the "Where Brother Art Thou" soundtrack. This is a new kind of bluegrass, one with an edge. Nickel Creek has started out pretty much as what one would call a traditional bluegrass band, but even then, they dared to be different from the crowd.

Their debut album contained traditional bluegrass tunes and even a few celtic tunes; their sound was mellow, very mellow with great harmonization. The Side continued their journey as a band, continued with the mellow sound and the great harmony, but this time they upped the ante. They dared to be more poppy, yet they also stayed close to their roots, and even added some of their jazz influences. It was a great album, but many of those fans that loved their debut, including fans of traditional bluegrass scoffed at the direction the band was going in. It was also considered very much to be an experiment in bluegrass. Nevertheless, the album garnered them praise. Praise in which I agree in.

Why Should The Fire Die? Indeed. The fire of their passion for music is evident with this album. More than ever, the band continues to experiment and delve beyond the borders of the bluegrass continuum. It continues infusing their jazz influences, continues with very interesting instrumental and vocal arrangements. It becomes mind boggling. It takes a few listens before you can truly appreciate the work that went into this album. It's deeper, darker, edgier, and grittier than their previous albums, one which starts to contemplate questions in life and starts to even sound like an indy record at some point. This is because after two albums, those who were produced by Alison Krauss, they turned to a different producer, a rock producer. The result is an album that is more aggressive. Is it successful? Yes, definitely. While I might not be a fan of the way this one was produced, in the way that it sounds more compressed and less clear and detailed like on their previous albums, I can respect the idea behind the decision that Chris Thile, Mandolin Prodigy Virtuoso, made. He wanted it to sound more like they do their concerts, and while I won't be able to see them live any time soon since I'm in Canada (They haven't toured Canada yet) , at least I can appreciate the idea.

Things that impress me about this album are the lack of a drum kit. There's actually only one song with the use of a drum kit (Helena) and that's towards the end of the song. Most of the album uses strong hooks and melodies, foot stomping and guitar tapping. The use of the upright bass is also something I'm impressed with and it provides a much richer sound than a standard electric bass. Too few bands seem to use the upright these days. On this album, it's used for texture and where drums would normally be used. Imagine deep low notes building and driving the song up into power and intensity as the stuff sitting on your large hi-fi speakers dances around, until your flower pot you have sitting on there takes a walk off the edge. No drums can match that. Overall, I'm impressed with what they can do, and I think it shows that you don't need drums to be cool like everyone else. You just need to be interesting with your instrumentation and choose other ways to express yourself.

So, if you'd like some good folk music to add to your collection, I'd recommend picking this up. Again, it isn't your daddy's bluegrass, but I think you'd be impressed at what this band can accomplish. Their fire won't die anytime soon.

Album: Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die?
Publisher: Sugarhill Records
Release Date: August 2005 (Out Now everywhere)
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.nickelcreek.com
e-card: Right here

Music Review: Great Big Sea - The Hard and The Easy

The by's are back in town! It took a long time to get to this point. Great Big Sea has released their long awaited all-traditional album, The Hard and The Easy today, and after being less than pleased with Sea of No Cares and Something Beautiful*, I'm pleased to say that they've knocked this one out of the ballpark.

I think this release shows that the band understands how important their culture is, that they shouldn't be afraid to just be who they are instead of what the record industry thinks they should be. Their venture into the pop market wasn't as successful as they'd hope, and with this release, ironically, they've risked more here than they would have with their pop releases considering the all-traditional material. But I think the media is biting, and fans will be pleased to know that their raucous energy is back on this album, in full force.

Throughout the album, one can tell they enjoyed making it by the hearing the enthusiasm in their voices. You could even say they sound rejuvenated after having a lengthy hiatus, and if their hiatus is any sign of the feeling they come through on this album, then it indeed helped. Their sound on this album is more akin to what they sounded like on Up and Play, and even with hints of Turn, their voices bursting forth out of the speakers, and is a more pleasing and entertaining album than the pop laden albums they have served us for the past 2 years. The harmonies are beautiful, especially on River Driver and Graceful & Charming (Forget-Me-Not), and the instrumental arrangements are complex and interesting, even moreso than those on Up and Play.

If the music itself wasn't enough, there's even a 50 minute DVD included which promises to be quite a bargain. I haven't personally viewed the DVD yet, so I will elaborate more on it in a future post, but I think it's safe to say that this album is easy to recommend, unlike SONC or Something Beautiful*. It has easily surpassed my expectations. A welcome addition to any collection, folk music aficionados and Great Big Sea fans alike.


Album: Great Big Sea - The Hard and The Easy
Publisher: Warner Music (Canada) / Rounder (US)
Release Date: Oct 11th (Canada) / Oct 25th (US)
Bonus Material?: Yes (DVD)
Site: www.greatbigsea.ca

Excited

Ok, I haven't been this excited in quite awhile about an upcoming album, but Great Big Sea's The Hard and The Easy, their latest album which happens to be all-traditional, is hitting the stores in Canada on the 11th, just the day after Thanksgiving, and the 25th in the U.S. I'm applauding their return to traditional material as well as the return to the sound and the energy that made them popular on Up and Play. You can be sure that I'll be reviewing the album in a few days.

To hold you over, here are two songs in their entirety (I think). Don't hold me on that since I'm not going to listen to them before I get the album in order to not get spoiled. I like being able to listen to an album the first time around and having them all be new songs to my ears. If anyone listens to them (the clips), can you please confirm it for me? Thanks :)

http://www.myspace.com/greatbigseaofficial