| CD REVIEW |
| THE KEY TO LIFE IS LOVE... - MIKE CHIAROT Reviewed by D.M. Wells |
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| Hamilton musician Mike Chiarot has stepped aside from his Superchargers band to create this pleasing d�but solo CD. While he hasn�t completely left behind his country music roots to branch out into a more eclectic mix of rock, blues, soul and experimental funk/r&b fusion, there are several tracks that Superchargers fans will appreciate.
There is a top-drawer group of hometown boys helping him out on this effort, produced by Bob Johnston (a.k.a. Georgie Fab) of Race Records, mixed by Stu Young and mastered by Nick Blagona at Metalworks. You�d be hard-put to find better players than drum dynamo Jack Pedler, guitarist Troy Vaz (of Black Thorn, also known as Blackheath), ubiquitous Jesse O�Brien on electric piano/synthesizer and solid-state Steve Pelletier on bass. The brass section from Hamilton�s Powerhouse provides their usual flamboyant horn work. Added percussion kicks in, care of Big Z, and backup vocals were care of Byng Bell's Ordinaires and Jono. Chiarot foregoes his own fretwork to Stoney Creek guitarist Mark Severn (of Eagles tribute band Hotel California), who provides what may have been one of his last recordings before his untimely demise in July. That leaves Mike the freedom to express himself vocally on his all-original collection of well-crafted compositions. He didn�t impress me as a singer when I first heard him performing live at a local club, but as with many other musicians I know, the true nature and versatility of his vocals is captured so much better in a recording studio, where instrument volumes are not a conflicting factor. The disc opens with an impressively suave but trippy bit of jazz-bluesadelic guitar and tantalizing organ entitled �Icebreaker�, parallelling Goddo's "Keep It Under My Hat". That�s followed by a vocally ominous but laid-back Latino-flavoured rumba, aptly called �Power and Greed�. I sensed more than a bit of influence on this mesmerizing track emanating from politically-minded Jack Pedler, who is due to release his third original CD in 2007, following the delightfully subversive D.T. Delinquent and Fairyland It Ain�t. I love the classical guitar fingering on this track. The mellow atmosphere is abruptly but temporarily shattered by �The Decline of Western Civilization�, a pounding orchestral opus dominated by wild-fire funky guitar rhythm, driving horns, snappy percussion and penetrating organic filler. This one brought back memories of the best of James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone for me, but with a contemporary edge. The title track slips us into sentimental but prioritizing country-blues, sweetened with Hawaiian lap/pedal steel strains, played by "Smilin' Joe" Allain. Jack Pedler kindly provided Joe�s name, and steel guitarist Al Brisco, of Steel Guitars of Canada, spelled it properly for me. �Dignity� momentarily tosses the listener back into a distinctive, aggressively wailing guitar-rocker before relapsing into a slow-time country feel with �Ride Home�, featuring more of that deliciously wavering lap steel, which might be a professional nod to Hamilton ex-patriot and steel guitarist Daniel Lanois, and Jono on electric piano.. �Oh, Yeah� pushes the musical rollercoaster back up the hill with a Texas blues-rockin� boogie strut before sliding down into the sweetly romantic country waltz, �Golden Brown Eyes�. Fans of Blue Rodeo or The Eagles will dig that one as well as the subsequent �Turn It Around", which I liken to a mix of Bryan Adams and Elvis Costello. The closing track - �You Treat Me Right� - a slow blues showcase of the lowdown, dirty variety, brings us full circle on this musical journey, leaving us feelin� satisfied but ready and willing to press �replay�. There's a lot to like here, regardless of your preferred genre of music. The Key to Life Is Love... is not due to be released until early 2007, but it's sure to be another welcome addition to Hamilton's classic musical archives. [Thanks for the sneak peek, Mike!] |