Amelia Curran WATERSHED. Six Shooter Records

Watershed is the follow-up to Amelia Curran’s widely praised They Promised You Mercy (2014), which earned both Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award nominations in Canada. Curran, a songwriter, activist and mental health advocate has won or been nominated for JUNO Awards for her past three consecutive albums and for more than a decade distinguished herself as one of Canada’s most cherished lyricists and preeminent poetic songwriters. Watershed, marks a threshold and a directional change. The tenor of this new album is openness, a reflection in part of Curran’s increasingly public efforts to battle the stigma of mental health issues in the arts. As a whole, the album calls for compassion and unification as a breakwater against the sea of cruelties we inflict upon each other, and upon ourselves.

Review

Curran’s past albums have been consistently good with strong melodies and intelligent, often moving, lyrics. WATERSHED is arguably her most accessible (dare I say ‘mainstream’) creation notable for its very gentle pop-rock sound and contemplative vibe. ‘Move A Mile’ opens this opus with rhythmic guitar intro eventually joined by Curran’s distinctive quasi-country voice. There’s strong rhythm and melody and a medium fast pace with choruses tailor made for Radio 2. ‘Watershed’ follows and is a more distinctive song in terms of its instrumentation and style. The multi-layered vocals are particularly effective and add to the song’s original flavour. Once again melody, rhythm and choruses render the song airplay-worthy. So far then, so good.

‘Sunday Bride’ is more country and one of my favourites from this very good song collection. The vibe is slow, moody and contemplative. It’s lovely! ‘Gravity’ opens with rocky guitar chords that continue to dominate the song’s instrumentation to great affect. The pace is sharper and drums more vocal. It’s a great song that adds to the album’s sonic diversity. ‘Come Back To Me’ reverts to a slower, darker and beautifully emotive alt-country vibe. Curran’s voice is sincere and expressive. ‘Act Of Human Kindness’ again is a softer, slower song with a strong folk sound. The song, acoustic instrumentation and Curran’s delivery render this as a track that demands attention. The subtle backing vocals add intensity to the emotive atmosphere. It’s another favourite of mine.

‘Stranger Things Have Happened’ is another wonderful song with epic choruses featuring a rush of all manner of instruments. This excellent album concludes with another favourite. ‘You Have Got Each Other’ is deeply moving with its stripped-down arrangement, Curran’s expressive voice and lyrics that are emotive but optimistic. It’s my pick of a delicious crop. Every one of the eleven songs here hits the mark and given airplay and media coverage will vastly expand her audience. A truly wonderful album that will feature in our 2017 albums-of-the-year list.

4.5/5