CORIN RAYMOND
Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams
Local Rascal
Toronto-based
singer-songwriter Corin Raymond arrived
on my radar about seven years ago thanks to a brilliant song called “There will Always be a Small Time,” a piece I described at the time as “a near-perfect
piece of songwriting.” But, just as there is so much more to Ian Tyson than “Four Strong Winds,” or
to Gordon Lightfoot than “The
Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” or to Leonard
Cohen than “Suzanne,” or to so many other examples, there is more to Corin
Raymond than “There will Always be a Small Time.”
That is more than
evident on Corin’s new album, “Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams,” a set of nine fine songs
he either wrote or co-wrote, and one cover.
Corin is a
singer-songwriter whose work engages the listener, the words and melodies
combining to draw listeners into the stories he’s telling – and whether the
stories are autobiographical or about other people, real or fictional, it’s the
story that matters with the lyrics, music, arrangement and delivery all in
service to the story.
The album opens
strongly with “Hard on Things,” co-written with Rob Vaarmeyer, in which he conversationally describes all those things
he’s hard on – from his body to many material things and, by implication (“I’ve
worn out two gold wedding rings”), his relationships.
Among the other
highlights are “Under the Belly of the Night,” co-written with Jonathan Byrd, which pays tribute to fallen early rock ‘n’ roll and R&B heroes
Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson
and to how their music endures so many decades after their deaths; “Two Miles
of Trains,” co-written with Raghu
Lokanathan, an upbeat, infectious celebration of hobo culture (the album’s
title comes from this song); and “Morning Glories,” a piano-based tribute to
some of the characters – flawed but good-hearted folks – that one might encounter
walking around a rundown Toronto neighbourhood.
Corin Raymond
makes you care about the people in these songs.
Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif
And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif
And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif
--Mike
Regenstreif
