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| This 2-CD set, quaintly referred to as '70s stuff and new stuff, offers both a retrospective look at this pioneer of Canadian country-rock and a celebration of the return of his creative inspiration in this new millennium. Going by the lyrics of his 1974 hit song, "Linda, Put the Coffee On" (with rising star Bruce Cockburn on electric guitar), it seems Ray was already burning out on the soul-sucking fame game and planning to head back home to Hamilton, Ontario. Another soon-to-be-hugely-famous musician-producer - Daniel Lanois - figures prominently on pedal steel, acoustic and electric guitar on these remastered (by Paul Riemens) older gems. Speaking of Hamilton producers, multi-instrumentalist Bob Doidge, heard on the '70s stuff on bass, trumpet, violin and harmony vocals, is steadily elevating his own profile in this regard. On the new stuff CD, Ray gathers up more of his Hamilton peers, including Rob Lamothe (originally from The States) and Lisa Winn, as well as Toronto heavyweights Mike Fitzpatrick, on drums, and Michael Fonfara, on celestial Hammond keyboards. I wasn't familiar with any of the other "newer" players (Eric Maher, Tim Drummond, Steve Smith or Mark Mariash), but their various contributions on lead and rhythm are top-rate and brought to the forefront by engineer-mixer Keith Mariash. Ray has thoughtfully provided minimally-phrased snapshot descriptions of each of his guitar-based compositions, e.g. "Talkin' About You" � tribute to dad; "You Babe" � gimmegimme; and "Ashes and Dust" � paradise lost. The memorable opening track, "Emily", is about his baby girl (his new muse?) and even his dog, Scruffy - "the bestest dog that ever was" � gets a nod of appreciation. Occasionally, Mr. Materick delves, without getting maudlin, into the seamier side of life with excellent tunes such as the Tom Petty-like "Fleshpot", "Never Shoulda Done It" (which could have been written by fellow songwriter Tim Gibbons, but wasn't), and "Wild World", one of the best tracks for instrumental diversity. The most enjoyable (and lighthearted) track is "Sister Ruth", an Okie-influenced hoedowner, which is followed by the John Prine/Bob Dylan-influenced ballad, "Nothin' At All". In fact, Ray was inspired by a few of Dylan's recordings in his journey to regain an optimistic outlook on life. The closing song, "Red Hot Mama" (meet the mrs.) , is a fine song on its own, but it sounds too much like a reworking of "Fleshpot", or vice versa. If, like me, you missed hearing any of these '70s peripheral compositions, in tandem with the brand-new songs, Life and Times serves as a wonderful showcase for this unpretentious man's musical genius. It's great to have you "back in the saddle", Ray. |
| Life and Times - Ray Materick (2004) |
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