Blind Boys of Alabama
Higher Ground
Real World
Many of us have sneered at Christian music over the years, myself included. However, after listening to the Blind Boys’ new album, I find myself rethinking my former dismissal. The tracks on Higher Ground possess a passion that is sadly lacking in most music today. The mere fact that the group has been recording and performing for over sixty years, and is still willing to experiment with the music of artists like Prince and Curtis Mayfield, is more than inspiration enough. The only low point was Ben Harper’s contribution on the first track. While Harper’s love of blues and gospel music can be seen in his own work, his voice simply doesn’t match the richness of the Blind Boys’. But the Blind Boys’ take on Harper’s “I Shall Not Walk Alone” offers hope that once Harper gets another fifty years or so under his belt, we can look forward to his being a performer of the same calibre. —ERIN RODGERS
Nathan Wiley
Bottom Dollar
Sonic Records/Warner
P.E.I. singer-songwriter Nathan Wiley’s debut release has been getting a lot of buzz recently, and justifiably so. The recent winner of CBC Radio’s “Big Break” contest, Wiley’s a one-man band on Bottom Dollar, writing, playing, and singing nearly everything on the album and even designing the artwork. Bottom Dollar’s alternative roots sound draws comparisons with such luminaries of the genre as Tom Waits, Ron Sexsmith, and Nick Lowe, but the 25-year-old Wiley manages to blend those influences into his own distinct style, from the clever “Bottom Dollar Baby” to countrified ballad “Home.” Fans of strong songwriting with an emphasis on literate lyrics should check out Wiley when he opens for local piano gal Sarah Slean October 10 at The Phoenix. —TABASSUM SIDDIQUI
Paul E. Lopes
Whatnaut:House
Virgin
It’s about time local house DJ extraordinaire Paul E. Lopes put out a mix disc, and this splashy release on a major label is sure to take his groovy sounds beyond the city limits. Anyone who’s witnessed Lopes spinning knows his penchant for sexy, soulful cuts makes for a happening party every time. Luckily, Lopes realized that what works in the clubs doesn’t necessarily translate to disc, so he works a slightly more low-key vibe on Whatnaut:House, kicking things off with a sublime reworking of “Feelin’ So Good,” an old Canadian house hit made modern with Toronto chanteuse Ivana Santilli on vocals and keys. That track segues perfectly into yet another excellent local cut, a remix of “Don’t Hold Back” by jazz/house combo Directions, highlighting the depth of the T-dot scene that Lopes has long championed. —TABASSUM SIDDIQUI
Mia Sheard
Anemone
Independent
Mia Sheard is something of an avant-guard heroine in Toronto singer-songwriter circles for her intense performances and stridently unique songwriting. But that also means that she makes the kind of love-it-or-hate-it music that isn’t embraced outside of the tight-knit indie scene—critics and fellow musicians love her, all but the most die-hard music fans probably don’t even know who she is. Her new album, Anemone, probably won’t do anything to settle that score, but it expands on the atmospheric palette of Sheard’s previous Reptilian album, with a backing band adding more colour to her sparse songs this time around. Sheard’s fragile electric guitar compositions bring to mind her local contemporary Tamara Williamson, but in a more poetic and less oddball sense. Like Williamson, Sheard uses her remarkable voice to paint a picture, but the songs on Anemone sound like mere sketches compared to Reptilian’s portraits. —TABASSUM SIDDIQUI
