| CD REVIEW (This review has also been published at www.701.com) |
| Before jumping on the hard-rock bandwagon, so to speak, I had briefly skimmed through the Canadian folk music scene in the early 70s, which at that time was pretty well sewed up with Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Murray McLachlan, Perth County Conspiracy, and then branched out to Shawn Phillips, John Prine and Eric Anderson. Therefore, until today I had absolutely no cognizant knowledge of this prolific songwriter from Guelph, Ontario, which is amazing, considering his lengthy musical biography. He is known to many North Americans as the founder of Tamarack, a Canadian folk group who recorded 14 albums, toured globally and made countless television and radio appearances. As a solo artist, he is well-known as a songwriter for the CBC shows "Basic Black" and "Ontario Morning," has released over 30 albums in total adults and children, including family musicals, symphony orchestras, choirs, theatre, dance and film. In more recent years, his songs have been recorded by a number of other artists including The Cowboy Junkies, Melanie Doane, Al Simmons, and James Keelaghan. Preceding One Timeless Moment was Mining For Gold, James' debut CD for Borealis Records, which is a retrospective double-CD encompassing the best of 20 years of Gordon's work with Tamarack and as a solo artist. The title track was popularized by The Cowboy Junkies and is recorded on that CD as a duet with Margo Timmins. Also contained on that CD is a song called �Frobisher Bay�, which might have been the same song I heard sung by a female a capella quartet at the Hamilton and Region Arts Council�s �Class & Trash� fundraiser. He has also recently a tribute CD to his hometown of Guelph, called �Song of Our City�, released through Pipe Street Records. I was relaxing pleasantly through the first half of One Timeless Moment, when I just about fell over in a spasm of laughter when �Funny Old World� started with the lines �He found it hard to be in love and make french fries simultaneously. That�s how he lost his job, down at the Burger King. It was a double loss, he was in love with his boss.� It continues with �He�d been a parking lot attendant, before the recession. He made more than a nurse, though the uniform was worse�. Apart from playing guitar, piano, banjo and harmonica throughout the CD, on this track James plays something called a mandola, while producer (and musician in his own right) Scott Merritt adds some special effects and bassist Sandy Horne (The Spoons) sings backwards! Adding additional instrumentation on the CD is Peter Von Alten, Dennis Rondeau on double bass, Marion Linton on violin and Scott Merritt on keyboards and electric guitar, who also mixed the CD with Paul Intson (Jamie Oakes). Among the many outstanding ballads on the CD, including �Sunset Song� and �Unspoken� (with Katherine Thompson on cello) is �Virginia�s Day�, with James on electric guitar and his son Evan on organ. It�s a song chronicling the life of someone suffering from mental illness. In that same vein, in 1991 Mr. Gordon oversaw the production of a 30-minute video, sponsored by the Homewood Foundation in conjunction with the Schizophrenic Society of Canada. It is called �Breaking the Mask - Exploring Mental Illness Through the Arts�. It was actually self-produced, through the use of music, drama, art, poetry and photography, by 10 young artists who experienced mental heath issues themselves and is available through Pipe Street Productions in Guelph. I think it�s high time for this very productive and obviously compassionate Canadian to be acknowledged by the Canadian public with his own star on Canada�s �Walk of Fame�! Diane Wells |
| ONE TIMELESS MOMENT - JAMES GORDON (WITH SANDY HORNE) |
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