Steve Dawson (from the album Gone, Long Gone

Steve Dawson (from the album Gone, Long Gone on Black Hen Music) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
 
Steve Dawson has a storied reputation in his native Canada. He’s produced some of that country’s most influential artists and ensembles, among them The Deep Dark Woods, Old Man Luedecke, Kelly Joe Phelps, and Jim Byrnes, and, in the process, has picked up any number of accolades, including two Juno Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award, the Independent Canadian Music Award, and a Western Music Award.
 
Nevertheless, Dawson can’t be confined to any single genre. His earlier endeavors crossed the transom from Folk to Rock to Jazz, and that’s where his new album Gone, Long Gone finds its trajectory as well. Opening track “Dimes” sets the pace, an infusion of brass, bravado, and some generally upbeat energy in one combustible combination. “King Bennie Had His Shit Together” finds that effusive attitude remaining intact, courtesy of some boisterous revelry that wouldn’t sound out of place in a New Orleans street celebration.
 
The songs that follow are similarly varied in tone and tempo. “Bad Omen” is as ominous as its title implies, both swampy and sinister. The title track allows for a mellow respite by sharing a rich tapestry of acoustic guitars, pedal steel, cello, violin and viola.  It’s an opportunity for Dawson to offer a needed breather from the boisterous sounds surrounding it, including “I Just Get Lost,” the rowdy repast that follows. So too, a convincing cover of the Faces’ festive “Ooh La La” provides further testament to Steve Dawson’s taste and technique.

Further on, the instrumental titled “Kulanlapia Waltz” showcases Dawson’s skills on Weissenborn, national and electric guitars as well as ukulele, while a solo acoustic guitar read “Cicada Sanctuary” serves the same purpose.
 
It’s that variety and versatility that comes to the fore throughout, all aided and abetted by an impressive roster of guest stars that includes singer Allison Russell, drummer Jay Bellerose and Fats Kaplan on fiddle. Notably then, when Steve Dawson declares “Time Has Made a Fool Out of Me”, the song found at the set’s conclusion, it belies the fact that his efforts prove the equal of his intents. (By Lee Zimmerman)
 
For more information and purchase options, please visit the Steve Dawson website
 

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