Trevor Mills - Karaoke Cowboy (Top Quark Productions, 2002)

Trevor Mills is a folk singer and is proud of it. On “Karaoke Cowboy”, his second independent release, he presents twelve original compositions that showcase both the breadth and depth of his talent. The record was co-produced by Mills and his father, veteran producer Paul Mills (Stan Rogers, Ron Hynes, Sharon Lois & Bram, Tanglefoot), and recorded at The Millstream Studios in Toronto. Mills has been a part of the Toronto folk scene, even if only in observation, since he was a kid; and I can’t help but see “Karaoke Cowboy” as the result of all those years of musical influence and inspiration. Mills plays guitar and bass on the record, and is joined, among others, by Joe Phillips (bass), Joey Wright (mandolin), Chris Whiteley (pedal steel and trumpet), Al Cross (drums and suitcase percussion), Chris Quinn (banjo), Darren Schott (fiddle), Jason LaPrade (dobro), and Treasa Levasseur (harmony vocals), as well as his dad’s alter ego Curly Boy Stubbs (guitar and clarinet).

The record opens with “Below a Marble Stone”, a sad but somehow comforting love song with a beautiful bass accompaniment from Phillips and Paul Odegaard’s banjo blending with Mills’ guitar through the verses. There is a deep melancholy in it that is so appealing. Mills’ quirky sense of humour comes through on the nonsensical “Nothin’,” his rambling ditty about, well, nothing. “Little Star” is a tender love song, in which he sings of the innocence of new love. The music is a variation on Mozart’s and the words on Jane Taylor’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” There is a shy, sweet smile running through it: “Won’t you open up your heart to me/It would let me in if you’d let it be/I could touch your lips with the finest wine/While your hands play tender songs in mine.”

There are two instrumental compositions on the record, “Rosalind’s Music Box Dream,” featuring Mills on nylon string guitar and Rick Hyslop on violin, and “Variations on You,” composed by Mills on his electric bass, which also features Curly Boy Stubbs on nylon string guitar and Whiteley and Kajica Djuric on trumpet.

The title track, a delightful country ode to the art of karaoke, features a folk gospel choir of Finnan, Dave Rogers, Candace Shaw, Parry, and Claire Jenkins for the final choruses. It has an impromptu, relaxed feel to it – it’s obvious that they were having fun that day in the studio. This folk chorus, minus Rogers and plus Bev Mills, appears again on “Little Waltzing Country Song,” a country waltz written, during a trip to Newfoundland, with the delightfully odd cadence that seems to float in the air in St. John’s.

The standout track on “Karaoke Cowboy” is “Brave,” a tribute to fearlessness and freedom of spirit that features the Mills family, including sister Sarah on harmony vocals. It follows the rhythm of Larry Nusbaum’s djembe and the ache of Peter Boyd’s slide guitar. Mills’ voice is deep and rich, both weary and hopeful. His youthful executioner takes that same voice in the beautiful “Phantom Bugles.” There is both sadness and resignation in his words, and fear that accompanies a realization that his life will be forever changed: “How can they know for certain that they have the guilty man/And if they are so sure then put this rifle in their hands/Why give this gun to me, this man is not my enemy/I pray they give the order to stand down/My youth is lost when that man hits the ground.” Each time I hear this song, I find myself knocked over with despair, always hoping, as though watching a movie with an unhappy ending, that it will end differently this time.

The variety of songs on this record embodies what I love about folk music – there is so much room for interpretation and experimentation, both in lyrics and instrumentation. Mills presents us with so much variety – from gospel singalongs and intricate instrumentals to political protests and waltzes. There is such a depth to his songwriting, and the promise of so much more to come, so many more words and musical phrases yet to be uttered. And through it all is the feeling that he loves what he’s doing, which is arguably as important to the quality of the finished product as are the lyrics and music.

Aengus Finnan - Fool's Gold (Shelter Valley Productions, 1999)

Well, here it is: the first review I ever wrote. Thanks, Aengus, for the inspiration.

I bought this record based solely on the lyrics I’d read on the artist’s website. They are poetic and touching, and, as it turned out, form only the base of a well-rounded and thought provoking debut from this Irish-born Canadian-raised singer-songwriter. It’s been a long time since I’ve been rendered breathless by a song, but it happened a few times the first time I listened to this CD. The record is made up of traditional and original tracks, as well as a spooky cover of Heartbreak Hill’s eerie ‘John Tyrone’, which, Finnan quips in the liner notes, “is about the only Heartbreak Hill song I can keep up with.” Described by Finnan as a “set of dark and depressing folk songs”, ‘Fool’s Gold’, produced by Stan Rogers’ producer and band mate Paul Mills, is far more than that - it is the future of modern folk music. Well-placed acknowledgment is given to both Gordon Lightfoot, “for filling my childhood days with music” and Rogers, “for wounding me with his writing.”

Finnan opens the record with the true-to-life tale of Marguerite de la Roche, a young girl exiled by her uncle to a North Atlantic isle for her love of a young sailor. The lyrics are poignant and show Finnan’s respect for and interest in history and heritage. A haunting melody floats through the song, weeping with every tear that falls from the young girl’s eyes. In ‘War Bride’s Waltz’, Finnan plays the historian once more, to tell the surprisingly uplifting story of a new bride left behind by a husband bound for war. ‘Lately’, a sweet love song, is one of the standouts on the record, and provides a showcase for Finnan’s depth as a songwriter and a vocalist. He shares vocal duties with ex-Heartbreak Hill front woman Jenny Whiteley, whose pure delivery complements his perfectly. Their voices twine together so exquisitely; and yet the song is breathtaking in its simplicity.

Melancholy overtakes the writer as he thinks on a troubled childhood in ‘Fly Away’. In the liner notes, Finnan explains the song, “I spent the two darkest years of my life in Moosonee, where I lost many things; however, it was there, in an apartment overlooking the Polar Bear Express tracks and the liquor store, that I wrote my first song. This is for Bobby, who called to apologize.” The message of the song reflects the closure gained on a lifetime of bitterness: that anything is possible if you want it bad enough; and that sometimes the deepest pain breeds the most startling creativity.

My favourite track, by far, is ‘Sweet Evelina’, an a cappella duet with Jenny Whiteley. This tale of unrequited love would not be the same without the sublime fusion of voices achieved here. On the title track, Finnan takes on the voice of that guy who sits in a dark corner of a dark bar, a pint of Guinness barely touched in front of him, marveling at the hypocrisy of it all and silently meeting the eyes of those who can also see.
The final cut on the record is dedicated by Finnan to “those who have the courage to see past the dollar.” For me, this is the most direct nod to the influence of Stan Rogers on Finnan’s writing. At points, you can almost hear that deep voice whispering the chorus to the wind. Finnan’s poet’s soul is angry in this one, as he sings to a dreamer who is cut down by the commercial interests of mediocre minds.

The CD is available through Finnan’s website. It’s well worth a hundred listens - it will carry you away and expose the poet in your soul.

Welcome to Perspective: Reviews

Hello out there!

My name is Rachel and I've been writing reviews for several years. I've written mostly for an American online review magazine called Rambles and a Canadian music website called Canadianbands. My experiences with these sites have been mostly positive; but I've gotten to the point where I have lots of reviews to write and post that are time-sensitive and have specific reasons for being written. For this reason, I think it's time to strike out on my own, do my own editing, and start posting what I want when I want.

A bit about me: I live in Southern Ontario, Canada, and spend a lot of time in and around the indie clubs of downtown Toronto, listening to great music. I'm an adventurous music lover - I follow the suggestions of friends and actively seek out new music. So far, this has been a wildly successful way of doing things and I have no plans to change!

It all started about 5 years ago when I followed a random link on a Blue Rodeo message board to the website of Aengus Finnan. The description that a fan of his had posted sounded interesting, so I looked around on his website and read some of the lyrics from his newly released CD. They were so engaging that I ordered it the same day. When it arrived at my house, I pressed play on my CD player and heard music unlike anything I'd ever heard before. So this was folk music - and I loved it. I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of music; but most of it was pretty mainstream and relatively ordinary.

The first review I ever wrote was of Aengus' CD Fool's Gold. I met him soon after and he has since introduced me to people who have introduced me to people and so on and so on. I think of it as something like that Minesweeper game you get with Windows: you click on one box (that'd be Aengus) and the whole field opens up. I'll be forever thankful to Aengus for his role as the portal to so many good people and so much good music.

So...that brings us back to the focus of this blog: reviews. I have a stack that I've written for Rambles that have been published there - I'll be posting my favourites here, as well as anything new that I write.

I'm really looking forward to having control over my own reviews - I hope that they serve to introduce people to new artists, or to give people more information about artists they already know.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Rachel