New music

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This article was published 20/04/2023 (1239 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ROOTS/COUNTRY

William Prince

Stand in the Joy

(Six Shooter Records)

William Prince is joined by his fiancée, Alyshia Grace, on the cover of his fourth full-length album, Stand in the Joy. It’s clear they’re a happy couple, and the Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter, who grew up on Peguis First Nation, is expressing his good fortune on this record, learning to accept that his life has become all he wanted.

Struggle, regret, hope and redemption have always been themes of Prince’s recorded work. His earlier albums told some great tales but they were also the yearnings of a young man seeking grace and peace. Now that he’s found them, Prince is singing of his happiness and appreciation.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_krVz0xPdXCmNwS7FRca-PDCkDE4r398lA

Prince recorded Stand in the Joy with superstar producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton) at Cobb’s Low Country South studio in Savannah, Ga. Together the pair have nestled his big baritone and rich lyrics in a low-key blend of rootsy folk-rock that leans into country on the loping dancefloor cut Easier and Harder, and with the ringing pedal steel guitar of Broken Heart of Mine, this album’s one true hurtin’ song. Mostly, though, this is a gentle record — redolent of the ’70s sounds of those who stood outside country’s rhinestone mainstream, such as Willie Nelson or the acoustic side of Linda Ronstadt.

The album opens with a softly strummed acoustic guitar chord and Prince’s instantly recognizable voice asking, “Is the moon shining bright where you are?” on When You Miss Someone, which segues seamlessly into Only Thing We Need, a paean to taking time for reflection. Tanqueray tells the story of taking a chance on love, Young is the song of a man looking back at his impatient former self, and the titles of the album’s last two songs, Peace of Mind (which namechecks Wellington Crescent) and Take a Look Around, underscore the idea that Prince is happy to “stand in the joy where I’ve never stood before.” ★★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THESE: Only Thing We Need, Tanqueray, Take a Look Around

— John Kendle

ROCK

Mike Tramp

Songs of White Lion (Frontiers)

Imagine an Olympic champion runner who blew away the competition and won numerous medals in his heyday. Now picture that same runner 40 years later, wrapped in the same flag, but taking a leisurely stroll around the track.

That’s the problem with this album, in which Mike Tramp, the former singer of White Lion, re-records some of the hair metal heroes’ greatest hits. On the one hand, this is some of the finest music of the genre, and it’s great to have these songs back in circulation.

On the other hand, Tramp is now 62, and the voice that powered hits like Tell Me, Wait, Little Fighter and When The Children Cry is just not there anymore.

To his credit, Tramp doesn’t reach for what’s not available. But singing these high-energy hits an octave lower robs them of a good deal of their energy and immediacy.

His backing band, led by guitarist Marcus Nand, does a creditable job with these songs, but Nand is no Vito Bratta, the onetime Eddie Van Halen disciple whose bombastic fretwork is such an integral part of the White Lion sound.

Lady of the Valley kicks off the album with a longtime concert staple, but it’s the first of many times where Tramp’s toned-down vocals keep the track from truly igniting. When the Children Cry, the acoustic classic that remains a radio staple today, becomes a piano ballad here, and Broken Heart, which was absolutely perfect on the band’s 1985 debut album, Fight to Survive, is as watered down and neutered here as it was when the band first redid it on 1991′s Mane Attraction.

If White Lion fans cry when they hear this, let ’em know he at least tried. ★★ out of five

— Wayne Parry, The Associated Press

JAZZ

Melissa Pipe

Of What Remains (Odd Sound)

Montrealer Melissa Pipe plays baritone sax and bassoon. While historically it has not been a hugely popular jazz instrument, the bassoon here is truly outstanding. There’s even a guest on several tracks, Michael Sundell, who plays contrabassoon. The evolving jazz genre is welcoming many formerly rare sounds.

This is Pipe’s debut as leader and it is a pure delight. It is officially released tomorrow. Her sextet has Lex French on trumpet, Philippe Côté on tenor and bass clarinet, Geoff Lapp on piano, Solon McDade on bass and Mill Hong on drums. Her compositions move across “conventional” small-group tunes to more chamber jazz tracks. The variety here is terrific, with often an underlying bluesy groove that is infectious. Mid-tempo tracks like Apothecium are funky while tracks like Day or La Part Des Anges are beautifully meditative with haunting solos and fine ensemble playing. La Part Des Anges is essentially the opening track and begins with a solo bassoon intro before the band enters sequentially with a growing direction and mood. Côtè’s and French’s solos are beautiful among others that set the stage for the album. There is a sense of total unity between the musicians that is tangible.

In Due Time moves the tempo up and offers a quirky melody that underpins more fine solo and ensemble moments. The baritone and bassoon present a literal depth to the foundation of the music that is wonderful. Pipe comments that the timbre and possibilities of the bassoon obviously influence her compositions. The effect is both charming and powerful. Ici, Ainsi is another beautiful example. Pianist Lapp shines throughout as well, with an important lead role on Fragment No. 2. Commenting on her writing style, Pipe states that whatever techniques inform her writing, “it has to have soul”. She certainly has succeeded here. Overall the mood of the album is introspective and makes one hope for more from this very talented musician. Highly recommended.★★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THESE: Day, La Part Des Anges

— Keith Black

CLASSICAL

Mikayel & Lia Hakhnazaryan

Inner World (Rubicon Classics)

Cellist Mikayel Hakhnazaryan with pianist Lia Hakhnazaryan plumbs the emotional depths of a musician leaving their homeland, with this new Rubicon Classics release comprised of 11 eclectic works.

Khachaturian’s Dream for Cello and Piano immediately sets a contemplative tone for the entire album, matched equally by Alexander Shtrimer’s sensitive arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s soulful Vocalise from his 14 Romances, Op. 34/14, as well as Debussy’s Sonata, CD 144.

Another highlight is Schuman’s Fantasiestuck, Op. 73, originally scored for clarinet and piano, that particularly showcases the soloist’s richly lyrical phrasing. Bloch’s From Jewish Life, B. 54, with its three movements: Prayer, Supplication and Jewish Song, curiously performed here in reverse order, becomes another vehicle for Hakhnazaryan’s expressive artistry, each steeped in melancholic longing.

Tchaikovsky’s Valse sentimentale, Op. 51/6 pulls at the heartstrings, while Elegy for Cello and Piano, from the cellist’s uncle, composer Igor Loboda, adds a poignant grace note to his program, as does Adam Khudoyan’s compact Cello Sonata No. 1 dedicated to Hakhnazaryan’s former teacher.

One can’t easily shake off Komitas’s haunting Krunk (Crane), featuring a duduk, a traditional Armenian woodwind instrument performed by Artyom Minasyan, with the cellist and pianist providing stirring counterpoint throughout the one-movement work.

Finally, Australian composer Carl Vine’s Inner World takes listeners even deeper into an atmospheric soundworld, melding Hakhnazaryan’s live performance with a pre-recorded track performed by its dedicatee, cellist David Pereira. The nearly 13-minute long, decidedly contemporary offering demands a certain commitment on the part of the listener, nonetheless resonating as an eternal cry for home; a sentiment that never grows old. ★★★★ out of five

STREAM THIS: Krunk

— Holly Harris