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CATHERINE MACLELLAN WINS SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR AT THE CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS

NEW ALBUM ‘WATER IN THE GROUND’ WITH BONUS ALBUM ‘DARK DREAM MIDNIGHT’

A young Catherine MacLellan did not have to look far for inspiration and insight into the creative process. She’s the daughter of Canadian music legend, singer/songwriter Gene MacLellan, the writer of such huge international 70s hit songs as “Snowbird” (the Anne Murray classic) and “Put Your Hand In The Hand” (Ocean). He died when Catherine had just entered her teens, but his influence was profound. “I grew up watching him write songs in the living room with pen and paper or with a guitar on his lap. That was what I thought you were supposed to do, and eventually I started doing it. Before I could even play guitar, I wrote these awful songs about stupid things and I’d sing melodies.”

Gene helped wean his daughter away from an early infatuation with bad 80s pop. “He’d buy me tapes of the Beatles, Eric Clapton, and The Band, going ‘you have to listen to this.’ I’m glad he did. I am really proud to be his daughter and to be able to follow a little in his footsteps. He was a fantastic songwriter and that’s really cool.” Catherine closes Church Bell Blues with a loving and deeply moving tribute to her father, “Long Time,” a song of which Gene would be mighty proud. After high school and a year in Australia, Catherine moved to Toronto, and began following her muse, playing open mic nights in folk clubs. On relocating back to Prince Edward Island, the passion gradually became a vocation. “That was facilitated by a folk club that had started up at the same time. There was a whole crew of people my age or a little bit older, and we all wanted to share what we’d written. That’s where I met James and other people I’ve played with, so I just started doing it, working part time jobs and playing gigs.” Through The New Drifts and then old-time country group Saddle River (also with Phillips), Catherine honed her skills as a performer. With the release of Dark Dream Midnight, she ventured into the Quebec and Ontario markets, to a very positive response.

For me, great female singer/songwriters are like goldust as they are able to capture the most intimate emotions and observations in music, beautifully and movingly. Canada’s Catherine MacLellan is yet another such artist from that geographic hotbed of singer/songwriters, and certainly one of the most interesting I’ve heard in the last couple of years. This is her latest record, however, contained within this package is her first record DARK DREAM MIDNIGHT (only previously available via direct mail order) which is a stunningly moving collection of songs. In fact it’s better than her latest release by a fair margin, and is one of the finest contemporary folk records I have ever heard. ‘Dark Dream Midnight’ opens the record with a dark guitar strum that sets the scene for this edgy song. Along with its powerful melody, MacLellan’s voice (think Joni Mitchell…) treads a fine line
between detachment and expressiveness, and gets it so right. Gorgeous. ‘Don’t Need No One’ is a deeply reflective song about relationships and in its stripped-down guise hits the mark like few other songs I’ve ever heard. ‘Journeys With You’ could be about the relationship with her father and I can promise you it will move you to tears. The melody is such that it hasn’t left my head since I first heard the song; the vocal performance is moving, sincere, heartbreaking. ‘House Of Love’ introduces multi-layered vocals, an upbeat and lighter vibe with another strong melody. Standout tracks pepper this collection including the upbeat country vibe of ‘Until One Of Us goes’ with its wonderful instrumental arrangement, ‘The Line Between Us’ with its wandering vocal, the ghostly ambience of ‘February Song’and the wistful, and very beautiful closing song ‘Packed My Bags.’

This is a stunning gem of record recorded early in MacLelland’s career. It could also be her best…

4.5/5

WATER IN THE GROUND is an altogther different record with its more mainstream, light country sound. First track ‘Take A Break’ is a prime example with its upbeat, lighter vibe. ‘Water In The Ground’ is one of this album’s standouts with its rolling style and very strong melody. It’s a charming love song that is both distinctive and beautifully performed. ‘Hotel Stairs’ has a magnetic, nostalgic feel while ‘Isabell’s Song’ rolls along gently
and ‘Something Gold’ snares you with its sweetness and light. An element of darkness and regret descend with the superb ‘All These Years’ that reminds me of a couple of songs from the previous album. The vocal rises and falls with emotion but is never over-indulgent. It’s another one of those songs that swills around in the head, and just won’t let go. ‘Sorrows Drown’ is another reflective, standout song with its gentle country vibe and excellent lyrics. ‘Not Much To Do (Not Much To Say)’ is more firmly down a country road with typical guitar
passages, and a vibe that is bouncy and mocking.’Everything’ll Be Alright’ is an optimistic tune that meanders along with an understated vocal that is perfectly judged, with just a touch of doubt just below the surface. The darker and moving vibe of ‘Flowers On The Grave’ includes a piano that deepens the drama and the sense of loss in the song’s dominant message.

3.9/5

There is no doubt that MacLellan is a new star on the contemporary folk horizon. However, my vote is powerfully behind DARK DREAM MIDNIGHT as the undisputed star of this wonderful package. And for me it remains the key reason to buy WATER IN THE GROUND.

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