NOW HEAR THIS
Best new picks include Kat Danser, This Circus Life and Meer
It’s a variety week in this edition of Now Hear This, with reviews of new albums that encompass blues, pop, progressive rock, roots rock and more.
‘One Eye Open’ Kat Danser
One could call Danser Canada’s equivalent to Etta James, an artist whose music is steeped in blues and soul and whose knowledge of the blues form is deep enough that Danser has been a presenter at conferences across North America. For her sixth album, “One Eye Open,” Danser demonstrates her command of blues in its many iterations. “Way I Like It
Done” is the kind of swinging and saucy blues/soul tune that would have been in the wheelhouse of Etta James. “End Of Days” is an earthy blues track that comes with some acoustic twang. Danser gets swampy with the slide-guitar-accented “Trainwreck,” while there’s a good bit of New Orleans reverie on several songs, including “Frenchman Street Shake” and “Bring It With You When You Come.” A couple of other songs — “One Eye Closed” and “Please Don’t Cry” — however, miss the mark as Danser takes ill-advised vocal approaches to these songs. Otherwise, Danser and her band are in tune on “One Eye Open,” a diverse, satisfying and authentic bluesrooted album.
‘The Vast and Endless Sea’
This Circus Life
Charlie Mear has had quite the journey. In the ‘80s and early ‘90s he played in several bands that never quite broke out. Frustrated, he quit music and embarked on a career in advertising, only to see it go bust. He then went through several disparate adventures that included running a covert mission and making a failed attempt at stand-up comedy, before finally deciding to give music a second shot in 2019, when he formed This Circus Life. It was the right move. If you like the softer side of the pop music of Crowded House (or the solo albums from that band’s frontman Neil Finn), “The Vast and Endless Sea” should be on your radar. Like Finn, Mear shows a talent for writing disarming pop melodies on songs like “She’s Got My Number,” “Falling Star” and “My Creaking Bones” — all of which are on this second album from This Circus Life. But before getting carried away with the Crowded House/Finn comparison, it should be noted that
Mear and his bandmates stake out more of their own sound on
several songs on “The Vast and Endless Sea.” There’s a folksier element to the easygoing “Danny Said It’s Over,” and “Seven
Years (Motherless Child).” On the title track, there’s a bit of an Irish filtered into its folk-pop sound. Nearly all of the songs on “The Vast and Endless Sea” are worthy, which is reason enough to believe Mear may have better luck with this second chapter in his music career.
‘Playing House’ Meer
Hailing from Norway, Meer started out as a duo in 2008 and has since grown into an eightpiece band whose sound has grown commensurately. On “Playing House,” Meer incorporates progressive rock, classical and bits of other rock styles into a sound that stands out because of the rich melodies that inhabit many of the songs. Sometimes the music is rich and full, as in “Picking Up The Pieces” and “Beehive,” where flowing strings and delicate piano meet fairly robust rock. But there’s also a softer, yet grand side to “Playing House.” “All At Sea” rises and falls as the song moves effortlessly between quiet passages that swell into lush string-laden parts and back again. There’s also a good deal of elegance to “Across The Ocean,” a ballad accented with strings and layered backing vocals, but with a modern rhythm track. While progressive rock is anything but trendy these dates, Meer show that when the songs are melodically strong and the band avoids self-indulgent playing, this can be a compelling form of rock music.
‘Redemption’ The Nova Hawks
Don’t confuse the Nova Hawks with Nova Mob, Aldo Nova, Heather Nova or just plain Nova. This is a new British act featuring powerhouse singer Heather Leoni and guitarist
Rex Roulette, and if this debut album is any indication, this duo could end up making more noise than any of the other “Nova” act. Leoni and Roulette on “Redemption” have crafted a bluesy rock sound that will trigger references such as Bad Company, Humble Pie, or Blackberry Smoke. And the songs on “Redemption” stand up to the material those aforementioned bands created. Despite all the references to other artists, the Nova Hawks aren’t overly derivative, and the guess here is their sound will grow more distinctive as Leoni and Roulette develop what sounds like a fruitful musical partnership.
‘Songs From Another Life’
The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness
On their second album, the duo of Gonzalo Marcos and Andrew Taylor have picked up the tempos (sometimes) and punched up the guitars ( just a bit) without losing any of the impeccable pop melody or jangle that characterized their excellent 2019 debut, “Dead Calm.” Think of pop-era Byrds, Big Star or Teenage Fanclub and you’ll have a good idea of how “Songs From Another Life” sounds — and the high quality of this album.
Music writer Alan Sculley is a contributor to The Morning Call. Alan can be reached at alanlastword@gmail.com