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| I don't think I've ever heard anyone who can so accurately emulate the vocals of so many other performers like Fred MacNeil can, except perhaps Andr�-Philippe Gagnon. The opening (title) track will have you thinking you accidentally picked up an early Roy Orbison CD, while the ensuing "Emily" brings to mind Keith Carradine's ballad, "I'm Easy", although the subject material of the two could not be further apart. He's also been known to do a wicked vocal impression of Elvis Presley, although you won't hear any examples of that here. A long-time performer in the Hamilton area, whom I first heard at Sonny Del Rio's 2003 Christmas Party, Fred has also performed as half of a duo (Two More MacNeils) with his brother, Fraser, an equally gifted singer-songwriter, most notably at a Toys for Tots fundraising concert in Welland, Ontario. In fact, they released a well-received CD in 2000 called Trial and Error, although their mp3.com samples are no longer available for previewing. These original compositions (and a couple of collaborations with brother Fraser - "Love Gone Wrong" and "Strange Things") alternate between folk and country ballads, some with the Celtic flavouring that reflects his Cape Breton roots, specifically mentioned in "Ryan�s Rock". "That Coat", once again reprising the Orbison sound, introduces a teasing Tex-Mex guitar that could have been developed into something grander, but is, strangely, one of the even shorter tunes.. Recorded and produced mostly by Georgie Fab at the Cellar Full of Noise studio, these expertly-crafted songs average around three minutes in length, so they can certainly be defined as �short and sweet�, not to mention radio-friendly. His supporting all-star players are Jack Pedler on drums, Neil Nikafor on bass, Mark Severn on guitar and banjo, Jono (who may or may not be fellow Nova Scotian Jonathan Torrens of Jonovision) on keyboards and Mike McCurlie on mandolin. Mr. McCurlie recorded and produced the aforementioned "Emily", as well as "Love Gone Wrong" and "Strange Things" at hugely successful MJM Productions in Hamilton. Always is a feel-good kind of album that harkens back to the days of innocent romance, "good clean fun" and wistful nostalgia, in other words, perfectly safe for young, impressionable children! |
| ALWAYS - FRED MACNEIL CD Review by Diane Wells |
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