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Paul Macleod - Bright Eyes Fade:
Exclaim Magazine
It’s been six years since MacLeod’s Hawksley Workman-produced previous album Close And Play, so it’s not surprising that the Kitchener, ON native’s return to the solo spotlight is a well-crafted sample of the best material MacLeod accumulated during that time, which included stints with the Skydiggers and Martin Tielli. Fans of his regular appearances in southern Ontario will already be familiar with these songs but the real joy is hearing them in fleshed-out studio versions where MacLeod’s magnetic performing abilities, angelic voice and rare gift for melody can be fully appreciated. Although songs like “A Clear Thought,” “Lies” and “Blue” lean on his love of Brit-pop, his limitless capacity for melancholy is the album’s true hallmark, displayed poignantly on “Virginia” and “Bristol.” MacLeod even manages to put a unique twist on country blues with “Down In The Street,” which only reinforces the many timeless qualities of the album. Although MacLeod (by his own admission) has not been as active as he should have been over the past several years, Bright Eyes Fade is a huge step forward in rectifying that situation. With this album, he deserves to be recognised as one of Canada’s great contemporary singer-songwriters.
Lynn Jackson - Restless Days:
Sing Out ! Magazine (Winter 2008)
This recording showcases Jackson's sweet voice (a la Alison Krauss) in a dressing of well-arranged Americana. Especially pleasing is Darrin Scott's mandolin that appears on about half the songs. As to the noteworthy material: The endless circle of a boring life is profiled in "Circle." "Sound of Rain" is about finding the right one and "Wintersong" evokes a still wintry day,stark with acoustic guitar and violin.
Tia McGraff - Day In My Shoes:
Maverick Magazine
With this album, Tia's on the threshold of a major breakthrough.
Canadian Tia McGraff, and husband/musical partner Tommy Parham have called Nashville home for several years, but after completing recording of this latest album, have decided to move back to Canada. It is a wise move as Tia's music really has little in common with the Nashville country mainstream.
She fits the mould of singer-songwriters like Mindy Smith, Joan Osborne and Mary Chapin-Carpenter. She appears to have gotten in their league pretty quick, but TIa actually started her career a dozen years ago in Canada. Self releasing her album, she made the move to Nashville some eight years ago and it has been metting and working with Tommy that has raised her game. Wisely, she has reached out to build a following in the UK, and with regular plays by Bob Harris, is building a solid fan base over here that many of country musics mainstream acts are missing out on.
Remember the name Tia McGraff, she is someone special.
Sarah Hallman - Sarah Hallman:
Exclaim Magazine
Sarah Hallman’s feisty debut disc is loaded with simple, confident melodies that take surprising turns. With a spirited harmony here or an unexpected chord progression there, the songs click nicely together one after another, building into an enjoyable and cohesive album. Several well-known Canadian musicians share credit for the instrumentation on the Ottawa singer-songwriter’s disc, most notably the Arcade Fire’s Jeremy Gara on drums and Wooden Stars’ Mike Feuerstack on lap steel. While the band, at times, come close to overpowering Hallman’s delicate vocals — particularly distracting is the persistent cymbal hiss that haunts several of the tracks — for the most part the deft instrumentation does a fine job of dressing up her uncommonly good songwriting. With tracks that strut out a ’90s rocker chick-style guitar jangle, as well as sleepily swaying country/folk numbers tinged with the atmospheric wail of accordion, stand-up bass and every variety of organ you can imagine, Hallman mixes up a satisfying blend of bouncy and blue.
Brock Zeman - Welcome Home, Ivy Jane:
Exclaim Magazine
Where was this troubadour hiding ? As someone well versed in this country's roots scene, this was the first time I had heard of the Wakefield, QC-based song slinger.
But Zeman, who combines the rich, deep-in-the-well vocals of Steve Earle with the poetic storytelling of Townes Van Zandt, is no newcomer. This is his fourth release in four years and another disc, recorded with Dan Walsh, is due soon.
While he's physically located in Canada, his soul resides with Texas tellers of song and their brethern. By exploring themes that mine a time and place far away, yet so near, that are at once dark, brooding reflections and life-affirming celebrations, Zeman paints vignettes that everyone can relate to. Produced by veteran country rocker Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster), Zeman gethered a band with all the chops to fill out the melodies of these 14 tracks and add a rich layer of instrumentation that complements his tear-stained tales. With the backing of Kitchener-Waterloo indie label Busted Flat, hopefully Zeman's words and music will now get heard by more of the masses. This is a songwriter worth hearing over and over again.
Dan Walsh - Diesel and Smokes:
Exclaim Magazine
Erstwhile sideman to the much-traveled Fred J. Eaglesmith, the multi-talented Dan Walsh paints a vivid sonic picture of the touring life on his all-instrumental debut, recorded around Lake Erie and in “various motels throughout the southern United States.” First track “Geary Street” begins, suitably, with the sound of a car starting, and what follows is an earnest journey through Walsh’s musical influences and history. Whether leading the spry country-shuffle of “White Knuckle,” the old school honky tonk of the alarmingly titled “Swingin’ Johnson” or the blues rock of “Spark Plug,” Walsh’s adeptness at playing multiple instruments on each track (including, but not limited to, guitar, bass, drums, dobro and piano) renders the organic sound of the recording all the more remarkable. The aptly named “Lonely Road” closes the album in modestly epic fashion, a 9-plus minute thematic sweep that is a fine showcase for Walsh’s understated talents. Music to be listened to while driving alone at night..
Shannon Lyon - Safe Inside:
Exclaim Magazine
Though much-beloved troubadour Shannon Lyon is well known in roots rock circles, here in his home and native land, relentless touring and a prodigious musical talent have also garnered him a sizeable following overseas. One such place is the Netherlands, where Lyon lived for a time and to which he returned to record his seventh studio album, Safe Inside.
Recorded in a 16th century farmhouse in less than two weeks, Safe Inside is, nevertheless, an unhurried affair, wandering with ease between poignant country shuffles (“Backyard Song”), folk rock stompers (“Lonely Like That”) and expertly crafted ballads (“Lies and Love”). Finely-hewn country rock also abounds here, particularly on standout tracks “I Believe in You” and “Sad Story Now” (which features a fiery, Neil Young-style solo during the song’s up-tempo outro). All are carried along by Lyon’s singular and expressive voice which, when coupled with his considerable lyrical skill, has the power to stop listeners dead in their proverbial tracks, as on the heartbreaking “Willing Lies.” Lyon’s trusty back-up band the World Record Players do not appear on Safe Inside, though able musical help is provided by producer BJ Baartmans among others, particularly on “Marie,” the bittersweet autobiographical tale that opens the album. Safe Inside marks another triumph, then, in the career of one of this country’s most underrated songwriters, and is a record which, hopefully, will herald the name of Shannon Lyon even farther and wider than before.
Lynn Jackson - Sweet Relief:
Exclaim Magazine
Kitchener songstress Lynn Jackson’s second album, the follow-up to 2004’s well-received Night Songs, is an effortlessly laidback collection marked throughout by an air of elegant simplicity. Recorded “in a cozy little shack on Lake Erie,” such graceful austerity lends itself well to Jackson’s particular hybrid of folk/country/blues. Co-produced with renowned multi-instrumentalist Dan Walsh (Fred J. Eaglesmith), Sweet Relief’s straightforward arrangements provide the ideal setting for Jackson’s similarly unpretentious lyrics and lilting vocals. Word and voice come together particularly well on the elegiac ballad “The End,” written for the late Matt Osborne, as well as on “Raining on Our House,” a plaintive tale of a broken spirit. And, though Jackson’s higher-register voice sometimes seems at odds with some of the blues-ier fare on offer, it is well-suited to the upbeat country rock treatment given Leonard Cohen’s “Tower Of Song” and the sweet country lament of “Forecast.” For his part, Walsh offers effective musical accompaniment on every song here, whether playing guitar, dobro or drums (to name a few).
Canadian folk legend Willie P. Bennett also appears on seven of Sweet Relief’s 11 tracks — his harmonica and mandolin playing adding timely atmospheric touches throughout this understated gem.
From 'Sing Out' Fall 2006:
The heart of the sophomore effort from this Ontario songwriter is the spare poetic mood-songs and a whistful whispery voice that conveys a palette of emotion from longing and regret to freedom and nostalgia. But, the soul of the CDis the first-rate tasteful production by Jackson and Dan Walsh: A perfectly-executed romp from country to rockabilly to jump blues. Fred Eaglesmith band members, Walsh, Willie P. Bennett and Luke Stackhouse contribute to well-crafted arrangements, drawing the listener into the moody, spare songs.
Mike Alviano - The Vagabond Songs:
Indie-Music.com
A former member of Strange Days with Shannon Lyon, Alviano too has found life after the band’s demise as a travelling guitar slinger. But, while Lyon has found success in Europe, Alviano is still mainly toiling the long white line of the Trans Canada Highway each summer – packing his acoustic guitar and sack of songs in his van – and visiting old friends along the way at the pubs, coffeehouses and folk festivals where he plays.
The Vagabond Songs is Alviano’s third solo record, and with each subsequent recording, the one-time rhythm guitarist continues his evolution as a singer-songwriter. Following up right where Radiate left off, Alviano continues to write smart, literate songs with a folk sensibility, capturing the people, places and stories he hears in his summer long travels.
The disc opens with “Drifters.” First, the drone of a haunting harmonica, then a finger-picked guitar chimes in, and then it’s just this songwriter's arresting voice singing about “another day in the land of drifters.” “Harley Riders” and “Misty Conversations” are just two of the finely crafted images the songwriter evokes in the opening number. From there, the acoustically-inclined Alviano offers another eight songs.
With a tight backing band, The Vagabond Songs is a wandering journey not to be missed that leads to the heart of this gifted songwriter singing about “falling in love everyday” with “cowgirl hippies” and other roadside reflections.
Mike Alviano - Radiate:
Many familiar with the Kitchener-Waterloo music scene of the early 1990s recall the band Strange Days. The group’s lead singer Shannon Lyon has gone on to become one of the country’s more talented troubadours. What people may not be as familiar with is that the band’s break up also spawned another accomplished songsmith — Mike Alviano. The rising singer-songwriter returns with the sunny sounds of his sophomore release Radiate — his follow up to Jubilee. The songwriting is more mature, the lyrics continue to evolve, and Alviano’s voice feels more confident. These 11 songs document the folk singer’s travels from northern Ontario to Vancouver Island over the last few years by capturing the people, places and reflections of his tours. In poetic paintings, Alviano depicts his ethos of life.
No song shows this better than the aptly-titled “This is Life,” with lingering lyrics such as “An old man approaches me, his body is shaken/ I can see by the wrinkles around his eyes/ He knows what’s going on.”
The catchy “Anymore” shows Alviano trying his hand at a little slide guitar with success and features harmonies by Craig Smith. “All We Are” is another mesmerising song that gets you singing along by the time the chorus comes around for the second time.
Here, Alviano’s ex-Strange Days band-mate Dan Cornelius bangs on the skins. The disc closes with the heartfelt “Tunnel Mountain.”