Solo album from former Our Lady Peace frontman, Raine Maida.
'The Hunters' Lullaby' is a singular departure from OLP's carefully sculpted, post grunge hard rock and was clearly a labour of love for this highly talented vocalist and songwriter.
Out are the nasal, high pitched vocal mannerisms. On this debut album, his voice sounds husky, sensuous and sincere.
With only the most modest of tools - an acoustic guitar, a string quartet, the wife on piano and backing vocals - Maida spins his road stories and modern day morality tales into something absolutely magical.
Both Hip hop and/or slam poetry - call it what you will - are, by definition a narrow construct. At least melodically. The rhythm is the thing and in this case, the rhythms are virulently infectious, making Maida's slight melodies and sinuous hooks seem totally in tune with his caustic lyrics and hypnotic narratives.
Maida fully harnesses the drama and the dynamic on '
Yellow Brick Road' - probably the most accessible track here - tracking back through his previous band's time in the sun, the mistakes made, the lessons learned, the glad to have got out of it alive.
Poetry from the darkside,
'The Less I Know', fashioned very much in the image of Leonard Cohen, gets shaken up with a healthy dose of contemporary karma and stretches out into slick, surefooted rap, thanks to guest artist, Jared Paul.
The grim reality of the American dream is revealed by Maida's analytical spotlight on
'Careful What You Wish For'. Barbed, eloquent and beautifully crafted, it spins gold out of the grimiest of subject matter.
Stripped down, spine tingling, mournful, strings and sonorous piano tones punctuate Maida's lyrics. Occasionally, diaphanous backing vocals and a variety of percussive instruments provide colour and texture to the songs, ensuring the album flows from track to track.
The raw bite and energy of
'Confessional' gives the album some welcome late momentum, while the quiet yearning of
'China Doll' is realised powerfully and precisely by the Maida ensemble.
No, it's not melodic rock, it's not AOR, Prog or any of those pigeon holes we love to inhabit, but forget that.
Buy it, love it, spread the word.
Written by
Brian Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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