When listening to Shadows and Light, there's no doubt it's a Charlie Major record. There's no one in Canadian country music that has Major's unique style. A true storyteller, Major's albums are always well-written and well-crafted.
His words are as distinctive as his voice.
Shadows and Light is a nice mix of ballads and up-tempo tunes. The most interesting tune on the album is "Young At Heart," a duet featuring Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell.
The lyrics speak of the changes as a person ages, something that the 52-year-old Major is probably dealing with. "That's When I Feel Loved" is a tender ballad that describes the unspoken love between a couple while "You'll See Angels" is an optimistic and encouraging foray into some uncomfortable subject matter. Major wrote the song at the request of a close friend who was suffering from terminal cancer.
The result was a touching tribute to their friendship.
The only negative regarding Shadows and Light is the difficulty in getting your hands on a copy. The disc is an independent effort through Fifth Line Recordings and as such, is difficult to find in many record stores.
With her sophomore solo effort, Sarah Shannon gives new meaning to "save the best for last." The former lead singer of '90s indie-rock group Velocity Girl suffers from bipolar disorder on City Morning Song, burying the real gems among a fleet of horrible '70s pop-tinged ditties reminiscent of Petula Clark.
Replete with the horns and corny, ambling rhythms, half of the album could accompany the opening credits for a sitcom circa 1975.
A fan of Carole King and Burt Bacharach, Shannon pays too much tribute to that era. Luckily, she jumps in her time machine halfway through the album and comes back to the present.
She finally uses her pretty voice for good on "Shiny Little Song" and "Postwar Hope.
" Shannon still doesn't push the envelope, but at least draws comparison between Fiona Apple and Portishead, especially on "Sunlit Smile" where her voice floats next to a sultry piano. And then, just as she begins to convince us the album's key ingredients weren't Prozac and smiles, the music slips back into a happy stupor, so simple and so bland.
Hot Traxx!
!!
With a newly released album that is markedly different from recent local offerings, Johnny Hatch the Lost Disciples is a band worth listening to.
With saturation of aggressive, and in some cases, abrasive, rock bands in the city, it's nice to hear a band that can attract one's attention without being in their face. With Hot Traxx!!
!, the band shows a musical maturity and diversity that quite a few bands would be envious of.
The six-song EP demonstrates the musical range the band has, showcasing one style, and then playing something completely different on the next track.
For instance, "Barrel of Monkeys," the disc's third track has a raging guitar solo and a wicked rhythm line that make the song totally irresistible to listen to. On the flipside, the song right before it, "This Road," is arguably the best song on the EP. With Hatch's vocals sounding like a cross between Tom Waits and Tom Petty, bassist Matt Johnstone on the acoustic guitar, and lyrics that are wistful and hopeful all at once, the listener can immediately garner the talent level of the band.
That's not to say that the album is without fault. While the production by local uber-producer David J. Taylor (Sylvie, November Samurai) is top notch, and the instrumental tracks show off the band's musicianship, the flow of the EP seemed to be obtrusive.
If anything though, the only flaw would be the skit track midway through the disc, although charming, appears to break up the natural flow that the band's songs create.
The songs are all solid, but varied to the point that if one really loves one track, they won't hear anything remotely similar again on the disc. Ultimately, this is an EP that is very deserving of a listen, and while one may not get all of the tracks, it's quite easy to fall for at least a few.
News RSS