| CD REVIEWS |
| There�s nothing like a clock ticking to motivate oneself to at least attempt to fulfill dreams that were sacrificed or perhaps just deferred in order to care for a spouse, child or parent. Those who have a social conscience are well-aware and appreciative of the benefits reaped from these sacrifices, but let�s face it � �all work and no play� can make a woman mean. In other words, it�s time to �fly the coop� for a spell. Ms. Davies has been involved in the business of dreams for a while, as, along with her promoter/manager/husband, Rob MacArthur, they own the Puck and Beaver, a well-organized karaoke pub in Ajax. They also have many involvements in community affairs, particularly in the world of sports and, more recently, politics. For her d�but CD, Ms. Davies has shrewdly elected to cover songs by big-name composers in new country music circles, especially Cyril Rawson, who has written for an extensive list of female performing artists, including one from South Africa, as well as male singer Reese Klaiber. Lorraine also performs �I Love Being Wrong�, a song by the late John Jarrard and Billy Kirsch, the latter also being a co-writer with Steve Wariner, a duo that recently succeeded in having Kenny Rogers record their �I�m Missing You�. Nevertheless, these aren�t necessarily the best songs to complement Lorraine�s voice, which has a sharp edge when fully projected on these mostly mid-tempo compositions. On the softer songs like �Fly Like You�ve Got Wings� and �More Than I Needed to Know�- she sounds much better. Several great back-up singers help the cause, as well. Apart from a collaboration with Scott Crawford and Bruce McLaughlin (�Me and My Man�), Lorraine�s only original here is called �Mom�s Night Out�. Its rhythmic patterns alternately recall the Beatles� �You Can�t Do That� and Shania Twain�s �Any Man of Mine�. Wendell Ferguson, five-time CCMA award-winner for �Guitar Player of the Year� is credited with �breathing life into it� for her. Wendell plays acoustic guitar and mondolin [sic] throughout the CD, along with a slew of other excellent players, including well-known keyboardists Gary Breit, Martin Aucoin and Steve O�Connor. The only other player I was familiar with is drummer Gary Craig, who sits in for steady tapper Steve Heathcote. Several electric and bass guitarists perform on the CD, as well. Recorded in three sessions, with the songs from each added randomly to the collection, the main musical thread, dressed up with tasty keyboarding, is the mandatory presence of a steel guitar, also played variously by Doug Johnson, Burke Carroll and Steve Smith. Fiddler Dan McGrath (of steel guitarist Bob Lucier�s camp) participates only in the final session, which tends to be more country-blues-oriented, a genre I prefer. There�s plenty to like here, and I would encourage Ms. Davies to continue writing her own compositions; she hasn�t �come a long way for nothing�. |
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| A TIME FOR ME - LORRAINE DAVIES (Also published @ www.thatscountry.com) |
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