Reid Jamieson – Dear Leonard: The Cohen Collection

REID JAMIESON

Dear Leonard: The Cohen Collection

reidjamieson.com/dearleonard.htm

There are many tributes to Leonard Cohen that have been recorded over the years. Some have drawn on various artists while others have been by specific artists. Among my favorites are Famous Blue Raincoat by Jennifer Warnes, Bird on the Wire by Perla Batalla and Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy by Judy Collins. To that list add Dear Leonard: The Cohen Collection by Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Reid Jamieson.

In this seemingly too-brief, 33-minute set, Reid offers sublime versions of seven Cohen classics and the title song, his own tribute – written with his wife, Carolyn Victoria Mill – to the master songwriter and poet. The arrangements – mostly just Reid’s vocals and guitar and Anne Lindsay’s always-exquisite violin – serve to focus attention on Cohen’s sublime lyrics and melodies. And while each of the Cohen songs is so very familiar these interpretations make them sound new again.

Among the highlights here are haunting versions of “Dance Me to the End of Love,” so beautifully enhanced by Anne’s violin, “Tower of Song,” Cohen’s homage to the art of great songwriting, and a version of “Suzanne,” THE great Montreal song which features a lovely lead vocal by Carolyn.

The CD cover, by the way, is a homage to the cover of The Best of Leonard Cohen, Cohen’s first compilation LP released in 1975.

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--Mike Regenstreif

Shelley Posen – Roseberry Road

SHELLEY POSEN
Roseberry Road
Well Done Music 
shelleyposen.com

On Roseberry Road, Shelley Posen – a member of Finest Kind, the Ottawa-based vocal trio known for their exquisite harmonies – presents a set of 16 well-crafted songs in a variety of styles written over the past decade-and-a-half.

The album opening title song – named for the street in suburban Toronto where Shelley spent his early childhood – is among the highlights. It’s a sweet, lovely and nostalgic reminiscence filled with personal and very specific memories.

Another is “The Campfire Song,” about singing around a campfire and the kind of songs that get sung there. I developed much of my earliest appreciation for folk music from sing-alongs at summer camp in the 1960s and the song brings back a lot of those memories for me.

A few other favorites include “The Gazebo on the Oswegatche,” which seems like it could have been a 1920s pop tune; “The Basket’s Song,” which Shelly sings from the perspective of a basket woven in 1903 as it tells its history from creation to museum exhibit; “Canoeing My Troubles Away,” a country waltz that celebrates getting away from city life; and the closer, “Thanks for the Song,” an end-of-the-night farewell after a fulfilling concert or any kind of gathering for singing and sharing music.

Shelley uses a wide variety of styles on these songs and each features musicians specifically chosen to bring something special to it. Just a few of the contributing players include producer Paul Mills on banjo, guitarist Rick Whitelaw, violinists Anne Lindsay and Mika Posen (Shelley’s daughter), and bassists Dennis Pendrith and David Woodhead.

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--Mike Regenstreif