Mark Erelli - Little Vigils

Mark Erelli - Little Vigils
2011, Hillbilly Pilgrim Records

Mark Erelli is a songwriter's songwriter.  His attention to detail and song structure is as complete and thorough as is his lyrical construction.  The singer/songwriter impressed critics across the country, including those of us here at WW, with his 2008 album "Delivered".  Erelli has continued to grow as a songwriter since then, and has become more conscious of the world around him and the small details that make up each event and moment.  His musical growth and growing understanding of the world catalyze on his latest effort, Little Vigils.  Erelli once again enlisted the services of producer Zach Hickman, but otherwise let go of the fine control he has practiced over his recordings in the past.  Erelli built the song structures, and then brought in great musicians with whom he had chemistry and let the songs take life as they would.

Little Vigils opens with "August", a low-key Americana number about finding one of life's perfect moments, and not messing it up by wishing for more.  This momentary respite in song represents gorgeous songwriting, and is transformational for Erelli as an artist, who seems to have found the next rung on his own musical Jacob's Ladder.  "Everything In Ruin" is written from the depths of despair, but is full of hope for renewal.  The catchy arrangement is a dead giveaway, and the chorus will stick with you for days.  "Kingdom Come" is a well-constructed humanist anthem that takes a classicist perspective on questions of truth with regard to religion.  Even if you don't buy Erelli's Darwinian perspective, the song is well-written and has a smooth flow that belies its intellectualism. 

"Columbus Ohio" is an intriguing song about a man leaving home because there's nothing left there to sustain him.  Erelli captures a painful truth of life in the American rust belt and beyond, where the dreams of generations of families are left behind because the jobs that long sustained them have disappeared.  "Basement Days" is an Americana 'glory days' tune, exploring memories of teenage rock bands and a desire to go back to simpler times.  Erelli fills the song with 60's and 70s song references, including such greats as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix.  Erelli takes listeners on a sudden left turn with the darkly beautiful "Hemlock Grove", an aurally sweet musical experience you'll be glad to make the acquaintance of.

Erelli gets back to questions of faith on "Mother Of Mysteries", exploring humanities need for a belief in the "hereafter".  Erelli writes well here, presenting the questions that have incited epistemological and cosmological arguments for centuries in straight-forward, accessible form.  "I Took The Moon For A Walk" is a wonderful little flight of fancy with the soul of blues lying deep within its heart.  Erelli is a master story-teller here, and constructs an absolutely beautiful arrangement around his words.  "Same For Someone" relays the advice of a father to a small child against a gentle Americana arrangement that's part lullaby and part secular hymn.  The love that flows quietly from this song is palpable.  "Coming Home" is gentle and sweet, an acknowledgment that no matter how far you travel, you really can go home again.  Little Vigils fades to black with live, solo acoustic "Pauline", a gently cascading ballad about the geography of the human heart.  Erelli touches on truths both subtle and sublime in a plaintive singer/songwriter style that is refreshing and pure.

Mark Erelli writes plays and sings with utter conviction throughout Little Vigils, pouring every ounce of himself into his songs.  The result is stunning; a significant step forward for a guy who seemed to already have it all together the last time we heard from him.  Little Vigils deserves consideration for yearend lists, even if the currently fractious music market rarely allows artists to receive sufficient exposure to actually get what they deserve.  If you're looking for a singer/songwriter who can blow you away with his power, yet summon the subtlety to rock you to sleep when called for, the Mark Erelli is an artist you need to get to know.  Little Vigils represents significant growth for Erelli as an artist, and it can be nothing less than a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Mark Erelli at www.markerelli.com or www.myspace.com/markerelli.  Little Vigils is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available on iTunes.

Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer

Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer
2011, Ronboy Rhymes

Ron Sexsmith was known early in his career as a one-man jukebox due to his amazing inability to play most any song requested while playing out live.  But in 1984 Sexsmith turned his attention to writing his own material.  Sexsmith’s brand of melancholic pop with British style melodies has become a staple of Canadian content and has even seen Sexsmith gain serious attention south of the proverbial 54-40.  Sexsmith’s latest album, Long Player Late Bloomer continues his sonic maturation through songs of love and loss.

Long Player Late Bloomer opens with "Get In Line" a straightforward pop/rock tune with an almost McCartney-esque feel.  There's an upbeat brand of melancholy that's pervasive here, making for an intriguing start.  "The Reason Why" falls more into the Americana bucket with a sound that will appeal to fans of Blue Rodeo.  Aside from the pure sonic aesthetics of the tune, it's a great bit of songwriting.  "Believe It When I See It" opens with a piano-driven verse then falls into an ethereal, orchestral rock chorus.  Sexsmith has crafted a pretty melody that waxes and wanes with wave-like intensity while building into the chorus like an on-coming tide.  The song reflects hope for the future tempered with healthy doses of skepticism. 

"Miracles" continues the orchestral pop/rock flavor.  This one is subtle and sublime; a gorgeous arrangement that celebrates the small miracles of everyday existence.  "No Help At All" resurrects the McCartney melodic influence in a song that reflects either a winsome melancholy or a mildly upbeat brand of fatalism.  "Late Bloomer" can have more general applications, but at heart it's a quiet anthem for anyone who has ever picked up a musical instrument with the dream of making it big.  It's an underdog's theme with a positive ending, even if it's not the outcome one might have wished starting out.  "Heavenly" is a smooth and sweet country/folk/pop ballad.  Sexsmith is at his vocal best here, with a sound so smooth it's practically theoretical.

"Michael And His Dad" is a heartfelt story-song capturing a moment between father and son at the playground, as the complexities of the life outside dance on the edge of their enjoyment of the day.  It's an incredibly human and poetic portrayal of the perfect moments we discover amongst our imperfections.  "Middle Of Love" is a catchy, middle-of-the-road Adult Contemporary rock number celebrating the moment of falling/being in love.  "Everytime I Follow" continues the penchant for lush sound that Sexsmith has displayed throughout Long Player Late Bloomer, while "Eye Candy" brings a gently swaying cadence in the form of a healthy, energetic Americana arrangement.  "Love Shines" revives the McCartney comparisons once again in a tune that embraces the simple things in life.  It's a pretty tune with a muted pop sensibility that's infectious.  Sexsmith closes with "Nowadays", an acoustic ballad that's subtly beautiful; exploring the depths of love and how it wraps itself around our hearts when we're not looking.

 Ron Sexsmith is incredibly smooth throughout Long Player Late Bloomer, working in a vocal style that’s ultra cool.  His voice is wonderfully soft and warm, and he caresses each vocal line like he’s in love with the music.  Long Player Late Bloomer shows the continued maturation and growth of Sexsmith as a songwriter, and is among his best work to date.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ron Sexsmith at www.ronsexsmith.com or www.myspace.com/ronsexsmith.  Long Player Late Bloomer is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Ari Hest - Sunset Over Hope Street

Ari Hest - Sunset Over Hope Street
2011, Mercer Street/Downtown Records

Ari Hest had it all:  A record deal with Columbia Records; tours; airplay and national recognition.  But something wasn’t right.  Hest walked away from the major so he could have more control over his music.  It started with a project to write 52 songs in 52 weeks, opening Hest up to deeper creativity that he couldn’t access under the yoke of corporate masters.  2011 sees Hest return with what may be his best work to date, Sunset Over Hope Street.

Sunset Over Hope Street opens with "Until Next Time", which plays like a dreamy outcast from an off-Broadway musical.  Hest explores the heart-breaking vacillations of a flighty love who slips away like dreams upon waking.  Piano providers a spark as a counter to Hest's plaintive baritone, and could easily be written to an artist's muse.  "How Would I Know" is a love song that begs the age-old question of whether his love is 'the one'.  He doesn't know, but is carrying on as if she is.  "A Way Back Home" is a subtle rock tune vaguely reminiscent of Peter Gabriel.

Hest engages in interesting social commentary in "Business Of America", taking on the socio-economic system in the United States that places the desire for more over the needs of the many.  There's a pervasive melancholy that runs through this beautifully-written and poignant tune.  "One Track Mind" is a gorgeous, but sad song about a couple at loggerheads.  He wants her to change while she acknowledges the co-existence of a desire to change and her seeming inability.  This is the tragedy of a true love between two people simply can't co-exist.  "If I Knew You'd Say Yes" is an edgy, electric guitar-driven tune where love and desire run up against deep insecurity.  The narrator is frozen in place, caught between what he wants and what he fears.

"Sunset Over Hope Street" is a poetic diagnostic of a relationship that's falling apart.  Hest uses gorgeous imagery to explain the facts in academic terms, while palpable heartbreak simmers just beneath.  "Down The Mountain" is refined musically but obtuse lyrically.  An enjoyable listen yet a head scratcher.  "Give It Time" is a pretty little request to not let the small stuff get in the way of a relationship.  This one is well-written and well thought-out, an understated gem.  "Swan Song" sounds like something Sting might have come out with in the early 1990's.  Beautiful yet dark, with a vague Spanish guitar style beneath haunting vocal harmonies.  It's absolutely beautiful.  Hest closes things out with "A Good Look Around", a song about being in over his head but finding the motivation to make it all work out.  It's another gorgeous bit of songwriting that will make you happy you stuck around for the final track.

Ari Hest impresses with Sunset Over Hope Street, showing off an unusual blend of qualities that put the listener instantly at ease.  Hest is a story-teller with the bent of a mystic poet, drawing out each tale impressive imagery and melodicism.  Hest's understated air sometimes comes across as a literati distance, but more often reflects the other-worldly bearing of someone who walks on both sides of the moment.   Sunset Over Hope Street will keep you coming back for more.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ari Hest at www.arihest.com or www.myspace.com/arihest.  Sunset Over Hope Street is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Review: Tad Dreis - The Reluctant Hook (and the day that it caught)

Tad Dreis - The Reluctant Hook (and the day that it caught)
2009, Tad Dreis

Tad Dreis comes from vibrant Chapel Hill, North Carolina music scene that helped launch bands such as Hootie & The Blowfish and Edwin McCain to national prominence. Writing and performing quirky Folk/Pop tunes can be a tricky game, but Dreis has a real knack for finding the perfect hook or turn of phrase. Comparisons to Robyn Hitchcock and Loudon Wainwright III as they might have sounded jamming with the Beatles are apropos. Dreis releases his third album, The Reluctant Hook (and the day that caught it) drops on September 11, 2009. With Dreis' wide touring and acclamations in the past few years (including a 2006 nomination from APCA as Best Solo Artist), The Reluctant Hook might just be the album that breaks things wide open for him.

Dreis is a singer-songwriter with a focus on traditional style story songs that occasionally stray into uncharted territory. A prime example is the opening track, The Makeup Company; a tune about an experience with a call center with supernatural powers and a penchant for showing off. It's an amusing tale that seems almost plausible based on past experience. Button For You is pure Americana, stylistically similar to Blue Rodeo or Wilco. It's a song about being so caught up in the day-to-day that you can't enjoy the things that really matter. This is primo songwriting. My Backstory is all about the perils of becoming well-known, particularly all of the "truths" that become public knowledge without ever being checked for accuracy. The arrangement and even Dreis' voice call to mind fleetingly Canadian quartet Moxy Fruvous.

Blues For Werner is a lovely tune about the more melancholy aspects of being a truck driver. It's a gentle arrangement full of affection that stands out because of its pure honesty. Very often in life our basic comforts revolve around the most simple of material items, be it a pair of comfy jeans, or a blanket (ala Linus from Peanuts). The Rug That Swore is the story of a boy and his carpet. Yes, it's a bit odd but so sweetly done you'll find yourself getting into it. It's a great tune. Three Forms Of Media explores all the methods for hooking up in a modern age (phone, eMail and hand-written notes), and how those methods can be used to push things awry when someone isn't playing fair. It's a humorous tune with a sudden twist at the close. Advice For Ladies highlights the advantages of a woman having a "humorous gay friend". It's an amusing tune with more than a little truth to it. Dreis closes out with I'll Be There and Pear Blossoms, both decent tunes but perhaps lacking a bit of the mischievous glint that pervades the rest of the album.

Tad Dreis is a stellar singer-songwriter who happens to have a mildly twisted sense of humor. His approach is a classic one, able to appeal to a broad spectrum of fans. Intelligent lyrics with wicked turns and strong melodies make The Reluctant Hook (and the day that it caught) an outstanding listen, even if it things tail off a bit at the end.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Tad Dreis at http://www.taddreis.com/ or www.myspace.com/taddreis. You can purchase The Reluctant Hook (and the day that it caught) as either a CD or download through CDBaby.com.

Review: Kevin Hearn And Thin Buckle - Havana Winter

Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle - Havana Winter
2009, Celery Music

Kevin Hearn would make music if the only instruments available to him were a pair of rocks to bang together. The projects and bands he's either been a member of or contributed to over the years is a bit astonishing. Hearn has played a part in recordings and/or tours for Corky & The Juice Pigs, The Look People, The Rheostatics, Lou Reed, The Tragically Hip, Garth Hudson, Ron Sexsmith, Broken Social Scene and Laurie Anderson, to name but a few. And we should probably mention his regular gig as multi-instrumentalist (primarily keyboard) for Barenaked Ladies. Hearn's quirky songwriting style and distinctive ability to capture bits of pop magic in song has served him well and endeared him to listeners all over the world. Havana Winter, released July 28, 2009, is Hearn's 4th solo album, and third with Thin Buckle (comprised of former Look People alums Chris Gartner - bass and Great Bob Scott - drums; guitarist Brian Macmillan and joined on Havana Winter by Lou Reed guitarist Mike Rathke.) Co-produced by Hearn and legendary Canadian producer Michael Philip Wojewoda, (Barenaked Ladies, Spirit Of The West, The Rheostatics, Great Big Sea, Ashley MacIsaac) Havana Winter furthers Hearn's distinctive songwriting style, dubbed "Planetarium Pop", that combines ambient keyboard elements with more traditional mellow pop songwriting for a musical experience that you don't so much listen to as become part of.

Havana Winter opens with Coma, driven by a distinctive keyboard riff that will keep the song running through your head long after it's stopped playing. Hearn exhorts people everywhere to wake up to the world around them rather than be hypnotized by gadgets, suburbs and the mundane aspects of day-to-day life. The song is a great listen with a wonderfully jarring guitar solo on the fade out. On The Runway is one of those songs that where I don't entirely get the lyrical content but I'm so enraptured with the music it doesn't matter. The lyrics might just be a dreamy rumination on plans, but the lush backdrop Hearn and Thin Buckle have created here is divine. Driven by a lively guitar and bass skeleton, Hearn wraps his keyboard around the song like a vibrant coat of musical colors. On The Runway is one of those songs that the replay button was made for.

Reeling reflects the grief of losing a loved one in poetic and beautiful language. The arrangement Hearn wraps around his memorial is lush and alive, carrying with it the co-mingled energies of memory and love. On first listen I didn't really get this one, but with a more careful ear it's an incredibly powerful and moving song, delivered as always with Hearn's light touch. Luna continues in a similar vein, speaking directly to the one who is gone and includes one of the best lyrical turns of the year, "If you were lost at sea, what kind of a lighthouse would I be?"). In these two songs Hearn displays an incredible ability to take pain and put it into words without beating the listener over the head with his suffering. In poetic and quirky fashion, Hearn communicates the depth of his grief and the depth of his love without getting mired in the sort of negativity that can drag down a song or even an album.

Hearn turns up the metronome on Huntsville.CA, a driven acoustic Brit-Rock tune that will make you want to dance. It's an amusing and lively look at how small, out-of-the way towns most of year can become bustling centers of activity in the summer months. Anyone who's a townie living in the shadow of a seasonal tourist attraction will appreciate the sentiment, and musically it's flat out a great tune (listen in particular for the guitar work throughout the song). In The Shade is a quirky mellow pop-tune with an island influence that equates love with sun exposure, "they'll burn you up in the end". Lush vocals/harmonies and a melodic structure born from another generation of pop music make for a pleasant surprise and a great listen. Havana Winter closes with H.I.T.S. (Helicopter In The Sand). The arrangement here is classic Kevin Hearn, mellow with a lot more harmonic work in the wings that you find in your typical Rock song. Hearn seems to explore the need to chase dreams, and how sometimes even failing to get where you planned gets you where you need to be. The song is highly poetic, deep and subtle, both lyrically and musically.

There's a reason everyone and his brother in the Canadian music scene ends up working with Kevin Hearn; there are few better at their craft. As a songwriter Hearn has developed significantly over the past two decades. He's always going to be a bit out of the mainstream (although he can do mainstream if he wants to), but you'll never walk away from a Hearn album musically dissatisfied. Havana Winter is Hearn's finest work yet; the sort of album you don't want to put down. Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle should be on your must-listen list. Bet on them making a bunch of year-end lists. For now, Havana Winter is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kevin Hearn at http://www.kevinhearn.com/ or http://www.bnlmusic.com/. Havana Winter will hit shelves on July 28, 2009. You can pre-order copies via Amazon.com. Once the album is released you can also pick up copies at Hearn’s webstore. Expect wide digital availability after the release date.

Review: Dom Deluca - Birds Of Worry

Dom Deluca – Birds Of Worry
2008, Dom Deluca

Dom Deluca is a self-taught guitar player and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was inspired by folks like Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Ron Sexsmith. In classic singer/songwriter style, Deluca writes about life, love disappointment and disdain of both self and others. Deluca shows a talent for imaginative and memorable lyrics and melodies that stick around after his songs have ended. Deluca’s debut album, Birds Of Worry, is a dazzling display of song craft and charisma that will keep you glued to your seat.

Deluca opens with It’s A Sad, Sad Day, a wry yet gloomy song featuring subtle pedal steel guitar work and a pleasant melody. Deluca’s voice has an easy feel that makes his songs go down like Jell-O. My Defenses Up is a fun and lively song that will make you want to get up and dance. I’ve Been Fine is a catchy lead in to the introspective trepidation of Birds Of Worry. Deluca slips in Toronto, a love song to his home town; it’s perhaps just south of hokey but charming in its own right. Deluca follows this with I Pray And I Hope, a song that focuses on not losing what’s good. But Deluca saves the best for last. Song To My City is incredibly personal and honest; powerful in its simplicity. This is one of those great story songs that you’ll find yourself pondering from time to time long after the CD has stopped spinning.

Dom Deluca has a penchant for raw and honest story songs that make you think and feel. Birds Of Worry is a great introduction to Deluca. There’s no fireworks here, just good steady entertainment that asks you to actively listen. Deluca follows in the path of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Ron Sexsmith as thinking man’s songwriters. Birds Of Worry is definitely worth making some time for.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Dom Deluca at www.myspace.com/domdelucasongs. You can purchase a copy of Birds Of Worry at www.cdbaby.com/cd/domdeluca.