STIR CRAZYEvan WesterlundIndie8-out-of-10
It was back in March 2008 a country album; Howlin' At The Moon, by Evan Westerlund impressed me to the point of earning a 9-out-of-10.
Westerlund is one of the more interesting musicians I have been associated with through years of doing reviews.
To start with, locally people might recognize the name since he is a former Yorkton Terrier netminder, having played with the Junior franchise back in the 1980s.
Of course Westerlund is a long way from Yorkton now. He lives in Sweden. Yes that's not a misprint. He is in Scandanavia, not exactly where you expect country music to come from.
But, that hasn't stopped Westerlund who channels his Western Canadian roots well in putting together his sophomore recording effort.
In many instances musicians often fall off a bit with their second CDs. After a lifetime of music to draw a debut disk from the cupboard gets a bit bare for a follow-up.
Westerlund, who pens a fine country story song obviously has a rather full shoebox of material to draw on.
No, Stir Crazy may not be quite as good as the debut disk, or at least not to my ears two years later, but there is still plenty to enjoy here.
Who's Gonna Take Care of The Horses? is one of the best songs here. It has some nice additional vocals from Amy Courts, and the pedal steel work of Robby Turner takes it a step above the average.
I love the intro to Springtime in Nebraska, and the story of a twister the song tells is well put together. It is simply a great song.
The title cut is a radio-friendly, hit in the making.Overall an excellent effort by Westerlund.Check him out at www.evanwesterlund.com- CALVIN DANIELS
WEATHERAnnie GallupWaterbug8.5-out-of-10
Annie Gallup might not be a familiar name to many, but what she is a veteran musician.
Weather is actually Gallup's eighth disk dating back to 1994. That is a rather substantial resume for any musician.
Weather is my first introduction to Gallup's music, and I will say the immediate reaction is that she is a songwriter first.
Late is a prime example. It is a poem set to music, a poem filled with emotion, pictures painted by the words. It is a delectable piece. It is easily my favourite song.
On a song, or more accurately, a voiced poem set to music, Gallup has a nearly ideal voice. A tad dark, sort of sultry, yet clear. She delivers the words flawlessly, clearly, perfectly.
Unmapped World has some of the same elements as Late, although she mixes the poetry with more musical elements. Again the pictures she creates are compelling ones.
Gallup has things of consequence to say, and she delivers her message through her lyrics, poetry and music. As a listener you can't help but listen and enjoy.
Check her out at www.anniegallup.com- CALVIN DANIELSPast reviews are archived online at http://calmardan.blogspot.com/
