Renny Wilson
Sugarglider
(Mint Records)
2/5
Sugarglider harkens back to a day when men pointed at disco balls with a sultry look in their eyesÉ but it never makes me feel like visiting that era.
There’s an otherworldly, almost underwater, funk to many of the tracks on this Edmontonian’s freshman full-length album, but it leaves me feeling less like dancing and more like passing out with a bag of chips in my lap. Call it chill-wave, call it pulsar-pop, call it whatever you like. I call it uninspired.
There are bits and pieces of this album that tease me. A little bit of synth in the title track, a bass lick in “Feel Like a Child,” a sexy sax sound in “Lady Pain,” they all make me want to hear more. Then Wilson starts to sing and all the good comes to an abrupt halt. His range tickles into falsetto with an airiness that could barely fill a balloon.
This music isn’t poorly crafted or terribly presented, it just doesn’t ever grab me enough to pull me in to that sweet spot that the disco balls and sleazy glances promised.
Daniel Romano
Come Cry With Me
(Normaltown Records)
4/5
Daniel Romano’s new album, Come Cry With Me, doesn’t quite have any songs as memorable and catchy as his last album, Sleep Beneath the Willow. It is, however, filled with some timeless country storytelling that just can not be found on Country Music Television.
This nostalgic and painful album makes your want to drink whisky and drive your Bronco down a dusty trail and out of this town for good. It’s tacky and corny at times, heartfelt and moving at others: this is just what country music should be.
Some highlights of the album are “Chicken Bill” and “When I Was Abroad,” which come together as a twangy western story about a cross-dressing chicken farmer. A more sincere song on the album is “A New Love Can Be Found,” which is as tragic in its lyrics as it is in its melodies.
-Nick Joy
Chris Ho
City of Dust
(Independent)
2.5/5
Chris Ho’s debut album is smooth and easy to listen to. The young Victoria artist has an attractive singing voice and his songs have emotional high and low tones, which is great.
However, the album is distractingly inconsistent: the first three tracks are mellow and conservative; the next track reveals a surprising uplifting rhythm.
Many of Ho’s songs have the same catchy lyrical sequence and his music sounds like a cross between Jack Johnson and Coldplay–he has a minimal folk guitar style mixed with light progressive build-ups.
His style is very plain and earthy, his lyrics are consistent with the tone and style of his tracks and he’s a talented songwriter. However, Ho’s got a comfort zone; if he can break out of it, he can produce something far more unique and inspiring.
-Damen Korkoras