Campfire

This Canadian treasure is finally available in the states with this release. He has long been know in Canada, but for some reason he has not made much of a dent in the US, and this has been our loss. His blended mixture of blues, folk, jazzy timings, country with a bit of yodeling thrown in, places this CD in a nicely blended category. His playing is mostly blues based, with touches of the other modes of music carefully placed to heighten the interest that each song has. He is the writer of all 14 songs on this disc, and some of them are gems, both in language and music interest. He co-produced the disc with Bill Garrett, and it is a disc that holds interest and has some very strong moments of aural joy. He has assembled an excellent group of "Campfire" musicians that enhance this project and get to show off their individual talents without ever taking anything from it. He has a quiet and wry sense of humor and it comes through when you hear the songs. There is a very Canadian feel to the disc, no it doesn't reflect the Great White Cold, however there are references to Canadian places and customs, much as the John Hiatt talks of "Going down to Memphis," and all the implied background and history there. This is a good starter disc if you have never heard him, and a welcome step forward in his career.

Edited by: David N. Pyles
(dnpyles@acousticmusic.com)