HOUSE ON FIREErin HaleyIndie7.5-out-of-10
If Canada has a heart of country music is likely beats in Alberta, at least since Ian Tyson has been around.There are however, certainly many other country voices coming out of Alberta, and some of the new ones are likely to become as well known as Tyson. That's saying something today when mainstream country radio is enamoured with the latest one-hit wonder, Nashville clone.
There is a resistance from radio to dare to offer a voice which is a little bit different, or forbid the idea of playing a Canadian voice simply because it's Canadian. They should be the conduit to helping launch careers.
So all that brings me to Erin Haley, a new voice out of Barrhead, AB. Vocally, there is such a bit of a different country twang here, and guess what, it works.
The CD is rather interesting. The lead cut, Waiting For the End of the World, is upbeat, and catchy. Haley has led with a cut which grabs attention. I've always said that is critical. In this one, the chorus is catchy. The instrumentation is big. The lyrics painting a picture not usually drawn by country artists.
That Haley has taken the road she did with Waiting For the End of the World, the orchestral violin work is totally unexpected, and broadens the piece so much, let's you know she's a bit of a risk taker.
Haley then shifts into Right Where You Left It, a more traditional take on current, upbeat country.
There are 12-songs here, and generally Haley does a solid job on every one. She balances radio savvy, with just enough twists to make it interesting, and with her voice, it all comes together nicely.
Definitely a country effort worth listening to.Check it out at www.erinhaley.com- CALVIN DANIELS
I'LL MISS YOU TOMORROWCheyne KohlIndie7-out-of-10
Out of Moose Jaw we have Cheyne Kohl, an artist with an easy listening, pop style.
This is music where Kohl delivers his lyrics in a laid back, relaxed fashion. The instrumentation is kept simple, a background support to his vocals. The result is a disk which is easy to grasp, easy to understand, easy to listen to.
The CD starts out with the solid Maybe I Should Leave, a nice opening since it is stylistically typical of the entire disk.
As Kohl progresses, there are subtle changes. On I Won't Look Down he opens up the playbook a bit and goes with a bigger, near orchestral sound.
Then he immediately down shifts to the slower-paced song; The Rain. This one is a love song which Kohl uses as a calling card for his vocals which clearly carries the emotions of this song. It is easily the best cut on the disk based on Kohl's voice which carries the emotion of the song flawlessly.
This young man has a knack for using instrumentation to good effect, and balancing it with his vocal capabilities, the result is this is a CD well worth investigating.
Check it out at www.facebook.com/ckohl- CALVIN DANIELS
Past reviews are archived online at http://calmardan.blogspot.com/
