| CD REVIEW (This review was also at www.701.com) |
| SHADOWS IN DREAMS - JAMIE OAKES |
| I have listened to this enchanting CD countless times and fall in love with it more and more every time! I haven't heard such emotionally seductive vocals since Gino Vanelli or Jon Bon Jovi, and with the instrumental performance to match it, Jamie Oakes should be getting major airplay with this spiritually-inspired project. At the very least, I'd like to see him headlining this year's Aquafest (Hamilton), simply for the profusion of references to water! The CD displays a versatility of musical styles evident in the roots-rocker, "try a little harder" (with Mark Laforme on backing vocals and William Ford on djembe), reminiscent of Colin James' "National Steel" CD, the mesmerizing Big Sugar megaphonic vocalization of "go to the water" (with Dave Harris on drums and William Ford on congas), and the soothing, bluesy feel a la Ry Cooder of "ride the waves". Then we're happily snapped out of the trance by a funky little ditty in the style of late Michael Hutchence's INXS, called "man in the sky", featuring Brian Griffith on lead guitar. On the evangelical "land of the free", Harrison Kennedy lends assistance on harmonica, along with Dave King on snare and hand drums, producer Paul Intson on piano, upright bass, marimba, tambourine and casio beat box and Jamie on reed organs and a second beat box. The unusual lyrics ("tv and crosses left to comfort all the broken souls with prophets and losses, where is love supposed to go") complement the complex rhythm patterns surrounding them. The most commercially-viable (and relevant, to me at least) track is "if I don�t get some rest", an unforgettable track I first heard during his acoustic set (with equally talented musical amigo, Rob Lamothe) at the Ronnie Hawkins & Friends benefit concert in September 2001. Ex-Powerhouser (among others), Dan Lockwood, plays dynamite drums on this track, as well as the title track, which proclaims contrarily that "I lay down my burden, I lay down my pain at the side of a stream 'cause there ain't no shadows in dreams". Bill Dillon plays electric guitar on this track. The spookiness of the country-blues track "may belle" (dedicated to Yvonne), featuring Kim Deschamps on pedal steel guitar, Jamie Oakes on resonator slide guitar, Harrison Kennedy on harmonica, and Paul Intson on upright bass, piano and guitar loop, reminds me of the lady in Charles Dicken's Great Expectations, who refuses to accept the loss of her lover - a haunting tune in more ways than one. "silver trails" is a continuation of the dream sequence theme, but with Jamie utilizing a sitar and drone and both acoustic and resonator slide guitar and Paul Intson providing subtle percussive tones on bass and electric grand piano to create the psychedelic euphoria that lovers feel when they are walking on a moonlit night. The last track provides a lasting impression of Jamie's amazing vocal talent (the kind that sends shivers up and down your spine!) in this intimate portrait of a woman who "is getting older and somehow she will find that the heart that gives forgiveness is the heart that always shines". |
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