Renowned Toronto singer/songwriter Kyp Harness will release his 14th album — simply self-titled — on Oct. 19, and you can get an early listen to the track “Talking To Myself” exclusively now at No Depression by clicking the logo below!
Kyp Harness is another brilliant collection of nine timely observations of our fraying society, rendered with all the wit, wisdom and just the right amount of folk-rocking flair that Harness’ die-hard fans have come to expect. The album’s crackling energy is the result of the tracks being laid down during a single all-day session at Toronto’s Revolution Recording, with Joao Carvalho capturing the chemistry generated by Harness, the renowned pianist Tania Gill, bassist Mike Smith and drummer Sean Lancaric.
Happy international release day to Paul Kelly‘s new album Nature (Gawd Aggie/Cooking Vinyl). Check out the new video for “A Bastard Like Me,” which pays tribute to Charlie Perkins, the first Australian Aboriginal man to earn a university degree.
Happy release day to Jennifer Holub‘s The Reckoning, a powerful and timely 10-song collection she envisioned from the start as a feminist call to action.
Working with co-producer Jonathan Danyliw (Murder Murder, Pistol George Warren) and engineer Matthew Wiewel, The Reckoning marks a major artistic step forward for Holub who builds on her previous Americana-tinged sound with a range of elements—everything from vintage soul to EDM—that adds up to a reflection of her northern environment: pastoral, cold and resilient.
The Reckoning does retain some of the Americana flavor of Holub’s past work, however, genre distinctions have less meaning for her than they ever have, and Holub cites artists as diverse as Mavis Staples and Zach de la Rocha as her primary inspiration for The Reckoning. “To me, artists like them represent the potential of music to affect change,” she says. “They have taught me how songs can inspire hearts and minds when rhetoric fails.”
Congratulations to Joe Nolan, whose new album Cry Babydebuted this week at the top of CKUA’s Top 30 chart (ahead of Paul McCartney, Paul Simon and Richard Thompson no less!)
Cry Babymarks Joe’s return to making music after a four-year gap, with each song an emotionally charged folk-pop gem. Get it at joenolanmusic.com
“There is not a false move here, with each track standing alone as a subtly-crafted gem.” Exclaim!
“[goes] deeper into her personal journey while adding elements of psychedelia and neo-soul to an ever-expanding sound.” Popmatters
“After 2016’s roots surprise For Dreaming LP… this five-track EP is an even wider, wilder ride.” Bob Mersereau/Top 100 Canadian Blog
All It Was release shows:
Sept. 21 :: Ottawa ON :: Live On Elgin
Sept. 22 :: Toronto ON :: The Painted Lady
“Cry Baby is going to take Nolan to some fantastic places. He just doesn’t know where yet and, probably, doesn’t want to.” VUE
“Joe Nolan will make you feel many things, but apathy is not one of them.” Spill Magazine
“There is charm in his chaos, a youthful maturity, a broken journey but a hopeful return.” Great Dark Wonder
Cry Baby release shows:
Sept. 21 :: Calgary AB :: King Eddy
Sept. 22 :: Edmonton AB :: CKUA
For his third full-length effort, Late Mornings, Toronto singer/songwriter Craig Robertson turned to Cowboy Junkies co-founder Michael Timmins (no slouch as a songwriter himself) for production assistance, and together with Robertson’s regular cast of players they crafted a dozen songs that cast a light onto dark territory few artists dare tread upon. By choosing detail over confession, Robertson acts more like a guide throughout the album, shifting between scenes populated by characters teetering on the brink—as on the opening track “Drunk In Vegas”—or simply wondering when exactly the world passed them by—as on the heartbreaking “Decker Hollow.”
Late Mornings brims with such description of life’s other side, a skill Robertson has honed over the past six years since he quit a full-time job to solely concentrate on making music. “I had always written songs, but it was always on the edges of my life,” he says. “Now it’s central, something I do every day. My best songs come from real life situations or feelings, so I’m constantly pursuing that muse and jotting down ideas.”
Robertson also notes how his creative evolution is linked to how his band, consisting of guitarist/mandolin player Bob Strome, bassist Jamie Thwaites and drummer James Clark, has gelled in recent years through regular gigging. Indeed, Late Mornings was laid down virtually live at Timmins’ studio The Hangar in only five sessions, with many of the songs being first takes. Robertson later added background vocals, along with lap steel by Andrew James Barker and fiddle by James McKie.
Although Robertson may downplay the narrative aspects of his music, Late Mornings is much like a great short story collection, a work of art that one can become totally immersed in, and reveals new insights each time it’s revisited. With it, Craig Robertson has made an undeniable claim to be mentioned alongside Canada’s best contemporary singer/songwriters.
![Kyp Harness [2018] Cover](https://jasonschneidermedia.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/kyp-harness-2018-cover.jpg?w=620)
![Jennifer Holub-The Reckoning [2018] COVER](https://jasonschneidermedia.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/jennifer-holub-the-reckoning-2018-cover.png?w=620)
![Craig Robertson-Late Mornings [Cover]](https://jasonschneidermedia.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/craig-robertson-late-mornings-cover.jpg?w=620)
