Jim Bryson
The Northside Benches
Orange Music

Those who know Ottawa singer-songwriter Jim Bryson’s live show would probably be surprised that his new album is a mellow affair that you can actually chill out to, with low-key, subtle playing. Even the edges on his workmanlike voice sound more rounded off, in tune with the rootsy, almost folksy vibe of this record. Much of the credit is undoubtably due to Ian LeFeuvre (of fellow capital-city band Starling), who aside from being one of the best guitarists and songwriters in the country, is quickly developing into one of its leading producers as well. He pushes Bryson’s urban cowboy tunes onto the shoulder of the country lane, with touches of glockenspiel and organ tucked in amongst the guitars. Bryson’s trademark shoot-from-the-lip songwriting style is front and centre, his lyrics honest and raw. On “Feel Much Better”, he sings: “I would feel much better if we talked more/I would feel much better, my love, if I wasn’t always so bored,” and then turns around and in the same breath declares, “I don’t want to talk to you,” on “Mean Streak”, which is vintage Bryson-rough and rockin’, all axes firing at once (the sunny “ooohs” notwithstanding). In a perfect world, lead track “Sleeping in Toronto” would be playing incessantly on every radio station in town, if not the country. Like Blue Rodeo’s stoner younger brother.-TABASSUM SIDDIQUI

Jim Bryson opens for The Weakerthans at Lee’s Palace on Nov. 6.

Dido
Life For Rent
Arista/BMG

It’s a fine line between making soft-focus pop music and being Enya, and while it’s easy to accuse Brit songbird Dido of going down that slippery slope, let’s not forget that about 12 million albums ago, even rock bible NME was singing her praises. Long before Eminem borrowed the irresistible hook from “Thank You”, Dido’s first album, No Angel, was quickly becoming a word-of-mouth favourite for its sweet-meets-beats sound. Countless ‘chillout’ compilations later, that sound is getting more than a bit dated, but Dido’s producer brother Rollo, who pioneered the genre with his band Faithless, managed to create the perfect balance between his sister’s dreamy vocals and soft beats mixed with guitar and piano on her debut. This time around, it’s almost as if he’s tired of the genre or saving the best beats for his own band, because there’s nothing new here. It’s pretty much a retread of No Angel without the quirky electro bits that made that record so charming. Everything’s a bit too pretty-those now-familiar vocals are gorgeous as ever, but Dido never really lets loose on any of the tracks to showcase them to the best of her ability (at a recent industry-only live stop in Toronto a few weeks ago, she sang several of the new tunes acoustically, her impressive pipes filling the entire Revival nightclub), and the acoustic guitar-based arrangements are rather boring. The title track is lovely, and has the potential to become the next “Thank You”, Eminem or not, and there’s plenty of other radio hits-in-the-making that trump swoony first single “White Flag”.-TS

Howie Day
Stop All The World Now
Epic/Sony

Maine singer-songwriter Howie Day’s sophomore solo effort, Stop All The World Now is a living, breathing showcase of the fantastic dichotomy that exists within his music. Innocence, young love lost, and sweet lyrics tangle with a voice that has smoked a few cigarettes, drunk a few whiskeys and betrays a worldliness far more mature than his 22 years. The album contains both new material and the re-worked “She Says”, a highlight of Day’s first record, Australia, that continues to impress on this release. The first single, “Perfect Time Of Day” and “You And A Promise” showcase the depth and power of his voice, while “Numbness For Sound” could double as poetry. Ably partnered with sought-after producer Youth (Crowded House, Dido), this album provides a perfect canvas for a musician whose most admirable attribute is that he doesn’t sound like anyone else out there (despite his new label Sony’s clear intention of riding the coattails of similar young male songwriters like John Mayer, Jason Mraz et al). Having witnessed Day live (even before Sony came calling, he built a strong fanbase on extensive touring, including high-profile opening spots for the likes of Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, and Sting) on more than one occasion, his magnetism truly comes across onstage. If the album strikes a chord, make sure you catch his show the next time he rolls through town-you won’t be disappointed.

The Strokes
Room On Fire
RCA

The Strokes’ hotly-anticipated sophomore effort begins with singer Julian Casablancas moaning, “I want to be forgotten, and I don’t want to be reminded.” Both pleas will likely remain unrequited despite the passable effort that is Room On Fire. It’s a good record, but there isn’t much new to say about the much hyped quartet from New York. The follow-up to 2001’s classic Is This It?, they could’ve just called the new album Well, Is This It, Then? Perhaps if things had worked out with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Travis, Beck) we could’ve heard something new from The Strokes, but not this time. The only new ground tred here, sonically or lyrically, is the subtle reference to homosexuality (a la Morrissey) on “Automatic Stop”: “So many fish there in the sea/She wanted him, he wanted me”. “The End Has No End” offers a flicker of political consciousness: “It’s not the secret of the government that’s keeping you dumb/Oh, it’s the other way around.” But the rest of the album reflects the first single, “12:51”, and its world of drinking and partying and come-and-go lovers. Good, but not great. Call it the same Strokes for the same folks.-CHRIS CLARK