Light Blending In – Last Word
Terry Gomes – The Tropical Dream
Terry Gomes is a University of Ottawa music graduate, having studied classical guitar and composition. He has released six recordings altogether. The last three marked a switch into instrumental music fusing World, Latin and Smooth Jazz genres. His newest and seventh recording, “The Tropical Dream”, is a concept album tracing the stages of a tropical vacation. Written while recovering from a slow-healing back injury, it pays homage to his childhood experiences growing up in a Guyanese culture, and to the memories of traveling with his family to the Caribbean.(Cashbox Canada)
Bahamas – Earthtones
Bahamas is back, and this time he’s bringing on the funk and R&B. Yes, while the Toronto-based singer-songwriter (born Afie Jurvanen) netted Juno Awards and a Polaris Music Prize nomination for his 2014 indie folk LP, Bahamas is Afie, his new album, Earthtones, delves into far different genres. Part of that newfound eclecticism comes courtesy of James Gadson and Pino Palladino, a pair of seasoned session musicians best known for their work in D’Angelo’s backing band, The Vanguard, on the R&B legend’s 2014 classic, Black Messiah.(Exclaim!)
Cadence Weapon – Cadence Weapon
An emotive rapper and a particularly thoughtful lyricist, Cadence Weapon is truly fired up on this dynamically produced artistic rebirth. Switching flows up within the same songs, he marries his youthful, wild exuberance with a nuanced maturity, asserting himself by exhibiting complete control over his domain.(Exclaim!)
Gord Bamford – Neon Smoke
It’s not just blowing smoke to say Australia born/Alberta raised Canadian country music star Gord Bamford is a great songwriter. His 24 Canadian Country Music Association awards, his multiple Juno nominations, his two Nashville Country Music Association Global Country Artist Awards and his 22 Top 10 singles – including the #1 smash “When Your Lips Are So Close” – are testament to that fact. It’s just that, regardless of the loyalty Canadian country fans show to the genre, you have to write some pretty good songs to endear yourself to fans the way Bamford has. With a deep and distinct country voice and a catalogue of songs that speak to the joys of the simple life, Bamford has carved out a loyal following that stretches from the rural heartland of Alberta to the sunny climes of the Australian outback.(GoBe Weekly)
Michael Slattery & La Nef – The People’s Purcell
Following up on the success of 2012’s Dowland in Dublin, Slattery has reunited with the musicians of La Nef for The People’s Purcell, a collection of airs and suites by Purcell, reimagined in a traditional folksong idiom. The album is streaming in the player to your left until its Jan. 19 release on ATMA Classique.(CBC Music)
Nir Blu – Monsters
Sarah Cripps – Sarah Cripps
After a five-year gap, Toronto singer/songwriter Sarah Cripps will release her self-titled sophomore album this Friday, Jan. 19. With a half-decade between recordings, the song collection naturally reflects a lot of growth for Cripps, as captured in the brooding first single “Leave Behind.” While her sound still contains a lot of her roots music influences, her current collaboration with producer Dean Drouillard builds on years of extensive touring to create more refined and mature results.
(FYI Music News)
Hello, I’m sorry I don’t have more reviews to share with you
Frankly, I’m thankful for the reviews you do put up. It’s for me a matter of half-full rather than half-empty…
And good day!
Good morning!
Hello hello! Thanks for posting the new releases, Garf, I’m so excited to check out the new Cadence Weapon and Bahamas!
Thank you, I just wish I could find more reviews (and streams) to share
Hey, the Barenaked Ladies and Steven Page are being inducted in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. That’s kind of nice; I wonder if they’ll do a reunion gig? I don’t think BNL are quite as good without Page, but I don’t think they’re all friendly-like since the arrest and band breakup.
Janet, I just read a story which said “no song together at the induction, though they’ll appear together”, and also what you said: there’s some bad blood about (not their words, they put it more as you did).
I’m a little bummed, but not really surprised to hear there will be no music. I look forward to the awkward pictures of them “appearing together”
Good day all! Yay for new releases!!
I too am mostly excited about Bahamas and Cadence Weapon but I like discovering new to me stuff too.
I saw the Barenaked Ladies/Steven Page thing and wondered how that was going to play out. Congrats to them anyways.
Is Tune-Yards considered Canadian? Just curious.
Wiki says no; the only Canuck reference from a quick scan: “She was a puppeteer for the Sandglass Theater in Vermont[6] and lived in Montreal where she played ukulele in the band Sister Suvi with guitarist Patrick Gregoire and drummer Nico Dann.”
Also, the capital-lowercase thing drives me nuts (tUnE-yArDs).
I saw that after I tried looking it up Benoit. I don’t think that is enough to make them Canadian. I liked the track though.
That cap/lowercase thing is a bit annoying.
but it’s pretty easy. Just alternate.
You just have to remember to start on a small
could be like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HRzloVtUPA
Ha! Yup I will just continue to type Tune-Yards this way thanks.
I try running each of the bands/artists through bandcamp to see if they are Canadian (because they usualy tell you in the top right corner) and if that fails it’s on to facebook and twitter to see if they have home towns listed.
It is often the longest part of creating the list
Oh I get it. I have to do searches for the playlists too. Some are easier to tell than others for sure.
I will remove TuneYards entry
Sorry Garf. I was happy to be made aware of it.
Yeah, I agree with dar, this joint doesn’t have to have the strict policies of a corporation.
Not to mention Canada love to celebrate anyone with even a small connection to Canada, so the ukulele player could be considered an honourary Canadian
We should definitely stay as Canadian as possible but occasionally looking outside our borders doesn’t hurt.
She did live in Montreal when she started Tune-Yards.
But you removed it already so don’t worry about it. hehe
Wait – you mean it’s not our job to make Garf’s life more complicated? 🙂
Haha! The rules on that are flexible as well.
Phew! I’m headed out for a bit, but will check back when I return to see if we’re still making trouble.
@Janet, by being corrected I know that people are taking notice of what I am doing
@BfO, I have posted albums from artists that have tenuous links with Canada in the past (at least once) but I usually mention it and I only like to do it when there are just a few Canadian releases that week.
The playlist tomorrow is another edition of Release Radar with new tracks from the past month.
Later gators!