Reviews
( they like me, they really like me!)
August 05- the Chronicle Herald... Halifax Nova Scotia-
"The minute he started to sing, the richness, ease and velvet smoothness of his fine, strong voice made it certain I wouldn't forget him. He sang a lot of protest songs, though there is more to protest about than ever with environmental pollution, weapons of mass destruction, corporate takeover of national sovereignty. He also sang winningly about Sweaters For Penguins, an appeal he launched only too successfully as songwriter for CBC radio's Basic Black. Together with his son Geordie on backup, their fine set included his Canadian Idol song, Frobisher Bay" Steven Pederson
Nov. 04-- from SING OUT magazine...
JAMES GORDON, Endomusia (Borealis 161). Ontario veteran James Gordon's latest solo release showcases his rootsy sound, strong songs, and deep connections to traditional North American folk music in all its forms. His songs explore themes of conscience, justice and individual liberty, with a poet's eye for telling details and a picket-line singer's passion. Good stuff. RM
-----------------
FROM "RAMBLES" magazine-- Pennsylvania , and online at www.rambles.net
Canada is one of the greatest producers of good contemporary music, and a top export is James Gordon. Reading the notes accompanying this album, we appreciate the virtuosity of the man. Not only is he writing some excellent songs, but he appears to be a one-man band playing everything from guitar and banjo to piano, harmonica and trumpet.
He opens this great collection with a musical documentary cum travelogue on the life and times of the contemporary performer on "Small Town Prairie Gigs." The lyrics paint a life combining hard work and fun with the infinite variety of venues and receptions. The inclusion of some lovely familiar musical pieces enhances the track.
He does not shy away from modern reality in his writing, and the thought-provoking "Randal Dooley" deserves strong airplay to remind us of the problems of modern home life.
The top song for me is one that reminds us of the power of the music we love (if we read reviews here). Throughout the centuries folk music has been driving home the need for social conscience, often hiding the message in the "long grass" of intelligent lyrics and captivating tunes. Even the title "Weapons of Mass Instruction" is a magnificent ironic pun. On first reading the track list I misread it for the more obvious. As Gordon reminds us, "Once an entire generation sang of our discontent" but now in our "privilege and our complacence, in our cynicism too we decided our hands are tied." He then reminds us that we have at our disposal many weapons for mass instructions from videos to songs like this.
He is a master of the story-song and demonstrates it on "The Queen of the Bingo Palace," letting us glimpse once again into the lives of the ordinary people who far outnumber the celebrities, politicians and reality TV residents of the planet.
Spirituality is not rooted in organized religion but in the soul, and his hymn to nature on "Carlyle Lake" should be required listening. "No dogma, no doctrine, just a quiet walk in the forest cathedral's all I need."
Like all good writers he has a sense of humour and uses it to effect in a self-deprecatory "Just Like Davey Jones," reminding us of all who took up the cheap guitars and "trendy" clothes in the late 1960s with dreams of musical stardom. Another track that should get wide airplay is "Mesopotamia," which reminds us that, despite recent history and the politicians' supposed recentering of civilisation, it started there.
This album is an excellent investment. James Gordon is the voice and
writing talent to bring folk music back to the world just as Dylan and his
contemporaries in the 1960s stirred us to think with music.
..............
from the Toronto Star, by Greq Quill......
This overdue effort from longtime Guelph folkie Gordon, a founding member of the popular group Tamarack and a veteran composer of musical Canadiana with loads of CBC Radio appeal, is an engaging and eclectic mix of his pure folk sensibilities, folk-pop ambitions and musically adventurous nature. Vignettes gathered from the troubadour's gypsy road ("Small Town Prairie Gigs," "Carlyle Lake," "Traverse City," "Saugeen Gypsies," "The Queen Of The Bingo Palace," "Just Like Davey Jones"), songs of protest ("Weapons Of Mass Instruction," "To The Walls," "Randall Dooley," "Mesopotamia," "Friendly Fire"), a couple of well-rendered traditional pieces, and his earnest vocal style put Gordon squarely in the old-guard folk regiment, though he's not above attempting some lovely and clever musical stunts, most notably with his own trumpet and piano arrangements. Endomusia is a wonderfully rich, varied set, the work of a confident artist with important things on his mind. GQ
From "ECHO" magazine.. Kitchener/Guelph/ Cambridge ON, by Vish Khana:
With his most recent album, Endomusia, James Gordon demonstrates why he has gained such an ardent following in his more than 20-year career as one of Canada's most prolific singer-songwriters. Gordon has won over audiences across the continent thanks to his honest, affable, and forthright character, which translates well onto record.
The Guelph resident possesses a rare gift as a songwriter in that his narratives are at once vividly crafted tales and conversational anecdotes whose cast of characters and scenarios are easily accessible to their listeners. Jaunty on-the-road ditties such as "Small Town Prairie Gigs," the mournful tale of "Randal Dooley", and the lovely "Carlyle Lake" are truly evocative songs that recall the meticulous writing of a young Gordon Lightfoot.
Longtime fans have observed an increasingly political bent to Gordon's writing in the past few years and he maintains that trend on this record, checking in with the self-explanatory "Weapons of Mass Instruction", the class analysis that is "The Queen of The Bingo Palace" and the biting war satire "Friendly Fire". As if the songwriting wasn't enough, Gordon is responsible for Endomusia's remarkable production. Featuring a slew of neighbourly talent, including Sandy Horne, Marion Linton, Jeff Bird, Stephen Fearing, and Gordon's talented young sons, Evan and Geordie, the record sounds stunning from beginning to end, as Gordon wonderfully balances all the assembled talent's contributions on each song. All in all, Endomusia will delight long-time Gordon fans while engaging new ones.
Another review from "Endomusia.".. from the Owen Sound Sun Times in Ontario....
"Once again James Gordon has taken his faithful listeners down a well travelled road with guitar in hand and a notebook full of experiences. Endomusia continues to tell stories of the events in our world that threaten to change our world forever. This is a feel good album about many "not so feel good" subjects. Weapons, war and big box stores are on the serving plate but Gordon has a unique way of making it all sound so good! A mini Tamarack reunion with Jeff Bird and Alex Sinclair, opens the disc and Gordon is joined by other great players including Stephen Fearing, Jude Vadala, Sandy Horne and Marion Linton. This is a must for Sunday morning's, siitting on the deck or backroading through the park! Another triumph from one of Guelph's great players.
By Brent Jeffries, Freelance Arts Columnist-Owen Sound Sun Times.
From "Hour" Magazine in Montreal, a review of my 2nd most recent Cd "One Timeless Moment"-
by Dean Cottrill
Gordon is a songwriter out of Guelph, Ontario with 20 years of tunes
behind him and Sandy Horne (ex-Spoons) on bass and backup vox. The settings
aren't overstated and producer Scott Merritt draws on many sources, one
of these being the Strawberry Fields-era Beatles sound on a lovely Sing
With Me. All those on hand have an experimental streak a mile wide that
makes for interesting track-to-track contrasts, and again it must be Gordon
with the Harrison-esque styled slide on A Really Lousy Late Winter Day.
No pigeonholing here: elements of MacLaughlin, Sexsmith, Dylan and Lennon.
Guilty of good taste. (Dean Cottrill)
From the News Express, Fergus, ON...
a review of our new folk opera "Hardscrabble Road"..
Hardscrabble Road Message Hits Hard....by L.A. Livingston
James Gordon's Cabaret-style musical "Hardscrabble Road" is not much like anything you'll see on Broadway or London's West End. Anti-corporate, Anti-global, cheeky and downright irreverent, the musical pokes fun at the World Trade Organization and corporations like Wal-Mart, Nike and the Gap, who have been vilified for their use of child labour in sweatshops in the developing world.- all from the point of view of some down-and-outers on the street.
The first act takes place on an inner city street; the second act is the same street taken over by a global summit meeting. Fergus's Nonie Crete, who played the cynical Jennie Diver, seemed equally comfortable wearing the acting hat as she did wearing her singing hat. It was Ken Brown, though, who stole the show. The wild-haired, gap-toothed Guelph resident was funny, uninhibited and fully into his role as Jeremiah Brown.
The shining lights on the voice scene were young Amy Nodwell, a high-school student at John F. Ross in Guelph, and Belwood's Ryan Schneider as Crook-Fingered Jack. The maturity of their voices belies their youth, and their characters formed the love interest in an otherwise issue-driven production. Sandy Horne and Gordon rounded out the cast-Horne as Sally, a prostitute, and Gordon as the musical's narrator. The band featured Evan Gordon on drums, organ and guitar; Marion Linton on violin and voice, and Lois Cherry on piano and accordion.
From the opening inharmonious cacaphony of instruments and voice, symbolizing perhaps the individual threads of dissent throughout the world, through to the melodic partnership of voices in the final strains, Gordon has been very creative in getting the message across: it's much better to work together to overcome the greed and fill the need in the world. There is even audience participation, including a protest in which the baskets are passed, (donations of cash went to the Guelph Food Bank)...
At this show, it appeared that Gordon was already preaching to the converted. Nonetheless, the story is worth telling, Gordon's knack for finding the humour in unfortunate circumstances made Hardscrabble Road a well-spent two hours.
From Nightlife Magazine... another review from " Hardscrabble Road" :
Hardscrabble Road packs political punch:
Guelph's James Gordon unveils A New Musical About the Needy and the Greedy
by ROBERT REID
Remember the Common Sense Revolution? One of the first things the recently dethroned Progressive Conservatives did after being swept into office in Ontario eight years ago was slash welfare payments. The Tories got away with such a callous and cynical initiative because the electorate bought into the stereotype of welfare recipients as lazy layabouts who connive to stay at home rather than work.
Guelph singer/songwriter James Gordon shatters this stereotype and much else in Hardscrabble Road, a contemporary folk opera that challenges assumptions allowing wealthy transnational corporations to build profits on the backs of the poor.
While technically an opera by virtue of all the text being sung, Hardscrabble Road is more a satirical revue in execution.Gordon seems aware the musical is more a series of songs loosely strung together than a contoured narrative when he refers to its "slender little plot."
The story, such as it is, is drawn from contemporary news headlines. It involves a group of homeless people in an unidentified inner city who become protesters when municipal bureaucrats try to clear them out to make the city more attractive to visiting dignitaries at an annual global economic summit.
The cast and on-stage band is made up of mostly area musicians, some of whom have worked with Gordon in the past, including Ken Brown (Jeremiah Brown), Nonie Crete (Jenny Driver), Sandy Horne (Sally), Amy Nodwell (Lucky Lockit) and Ryan Schneider (Crook-Fingered Jack), in addition to Gordon as the Narrator.
The cast members, who play instruments throughout the two-act show, are augmented by Lois Cherry on piano and accordion, Even Gordon on drums, keyboards and guitar and Marion Linton on violin.
The musical packs a political punch on the strength of Gordon's songwriting, which spans a variety of popular styles from folk and pop to rock and worldbeat.
Despite its serious message, the musical is not all doom-and-gloom. Gordon's satirical wit is sharp, but it's leavened with moments of compassion and tenderness, which makes for a poignant musical experience. At one point in the show buckets are passed around for donations to the Guelph Food Bank, a stark reminder that the need for food banks increased substantially across the province at the same time our wealthiest corporations and citizens were receiving tax-break handouts.
Here's a recent one about my "ONE IN FIVE" CD... from SING OUT magazine, Sept. 03
"Along with Bass Player Sandy Horne, Gordon turns in this Theme-based release addressing issues of mental illness. The Catchy lead cut explains that one in five of us will be touched by an illness of the brain. Stories bring awareness to their cause. This is a poignant, thoughtful product by a sensitive artist, already established as writer, radio personality and multi-instumentalist"
From "Yorkton This Week" ( in Saskatchewan)-- April 03
Review of "One Timeless Moment"-
" Gordon certainly utilizes the inherent strength of folk music to good advantage. His lyrics are well-crafted, and tell stories that are worth listening to.... 'Dan Mcphee' will ring well with Prairie listeners as it tells the story of a farmer finding it hard to make a living from the farm... "The Old Troubador" speaks of an old performer who has lost the magic. There is a sadness to the song that tugs at one's heart. "
From the "Soundbytes" webmagazine, Kingston Ontario.... Sept. 2002 by Bob Mackenzie:
James Gordon's "Mining For Gold"....
What can I say about such a collection of wonderful songs. James Gordon has that special something you find in writers like Hoagy Carmichael, Lerner and Loew, Leiber and Stoller, Buddy Holly, and the elite of modern songwriters. James Gordon has what the Irish call The Gift. He has a way with words that makes them slip by the ear all natural and yet still sound exotic and bright with potentials.
Couched as Gordon's work is in a folkish vein, you may well question why I have compared his writing to that of the best popular songwriters. Yet, at root, isn't he really a writer of popular music? While Gordon's writing may be pure poetry to the ear, he's no Leonard Cohen or Jacques Brel. While it is clearly a variant on traditional folk music, in performance, in performance Gordon's songs have a pop edge that allows them to appeal to a broader audience than the hard-core folkies. Many of the songs have the sort of commercial country sound found in the recordings of Harry Belafonte, Frankie Laine, or John Denver. Others are just... well, pretty n a way that popular ballads have always been pretty.
No matter where you start on this two disc set, it's immediately clear that the work of James Gordon is something special. With thirty eight songs to choose from, and all of the same high quality, it's hard to know where to start discussing them. That said, I'll make the attempt anyway. Myselection of songs to discuss is just one step away from random, but will I hope give some sort of picture, however incomplete, of the art of James Gordon.
"Frobisher Bay" is a haunting a capella masterpiece of the Canadian experience. When the backup singers support Gordon, some powerful harmonics occur that give the song depth and power that enhances the sense of loss and longing inherent to the lyric. Gordon's sweet tenor rises over the lower backup vocals to lend the song a pathos only hinted at in the words. This is powerful stuff.
The title song, "Mining for Gold" is another a capella delight, with reverb enhancing the already beautiful and haunting vocal intro by Margo Timmins. This set-up is ideal for the powerful performance by James Gordon that follows.
"Highway Seventeen" is interesting for it's metaphor of a northern Canadian stormbound highway as frozen ocean. The image works surprisingly well, especially for those of us who have been caught in a blizzard on a remote highway with nil visibility.
"Margaret's Waltz" is just plain beautiful. The story told is wonderful and evocative. The instrumental waltz takes one back, way back. And the whole thing is just wonderfulI musically. If the NFB hasn't yet made an animated feature of this, they should. [For my non-Canadian audience, that's the National Film Board of Canada.]
"Farther Along" is a very special song. It's an interesting mix of styles. It starts as a sort of pop-folk song and works very well in that mode, telling an interesting story as it goes along. But it builds in intensity and instrumentation under Gordon's voice. Then all that drops out briefly and the song becomes hymn like with a chorus coming in bigtime under Gordon and then the instruments coming in under all that. What had begun as a simple singer-songwriter story becomes a powerful experiment in theatre. What's more... it works!
Although not as dense in imagery, "There Is No Silent Night" bears the same sombre message Yeats passed along in his poem "The Second Coming" almost a century ago. Has so little changed? As I write this on the anniversary of September 11, 2001, I wonder.
In my own chauvinistic way, what I especially like about the songs of James Gordon is that [with the possible exception of "Pioneer Tower Road"] all of his images and referents are manifestly Canadian, yet his words and music are world class. What a great vehicle to carry the story of Canada to the rest of the world.
Would I recommend getting this two CD set for your collection. Absolutely.
This is a very special release not to be missed.
From "Living Tradition" Magazine, Great Britain, Dec. 02
James Gordon: One Timeless Moment:
From Ontario and perhaps best known as the founder of Tamarack, one of Canada's foremost groups in our genre he's been around a good while and is well-known as a writer of songs about the country's identity and heritage - you'll perhaps have seen his name on Cowboy Junkies album credits or heard James Keelaghan name-drop him? It's a mixed bag, some would call 'alt.country', others emotive pop but basically it's distinctive modern writing with a dark side. Songs of doomed relationships, dysfunctional men and women with issues, it's a changing world and a scary one that Gordon articulates accurately. 'Virginia's Day' is the stuff of daytime TV own-ups and 'March came in ike a cockroach' from "A Really Lousy Late Winter Day" is a metaphor that hadn't occurred to me before! Clive Powncery
From "Dirty Linen" magazine- USA.... Jan. 03
James Gordon with Sandy Horne: One Timeless Moment, Borealis 2002
James Gordon: Tune Cooties, Pipe Street Records, 2002
"Toenail snippets from famous Penguins"
James Gordon has been gradually making a name for himself in Canada for 20 years, first as a key member of Tamarack and later as a solo artist. He has had his songs recorded by the Cowboy Junkies and James Keelaghan and others, and a while ago he released a double CD anthology on Borealis that drew from his many self-produced recordings. One Timeless Moment which also features Sandy Horne of the Spoons ( a well-known Canadian pop band of the '80's), takes a slightly different approach, the album having been given a fuller sound that usual by producer Scott Merritt. One can usually count on James Gordon's songs being about something, as well as having a distinctly Canadian flavor. This time he sings about the loss of the family farm, the advent of the big box stores, mental illness, pain and grief, and the seasons.He even sings a few love songs, but he has earned the right to be sentimental after all this time.
In recent years Gordon also wrote songs related to features and guests that appeared on a very popular CBC Radio program, "Basic Black". The show's host has recently retired, which accounts for Tune Cooties being subtitled "The Last Songs From Basic Black". The songs Gordon wrote for the show were funny or downright silly and dealt with such weird or trendy topics as odd Elvis collectables, (a genuine toenail), restaurants serving squirrel, research into how to write a catchy tune (the title song), chicken poop as a viable fuel, and supermarket rage. Besides containing "Basic Black's" last 14 songs, the CD also adds an extra 11 songs from two earlier volumes that are now sold out. Some titles hint at the themes: "Men Don't Clean Toilets", "Opera Singing Dog", "Sweaters for Penguins" (his most requested song), "Donut Life", "Five Penis Wine", and "The Humline Song" the latter a very clever hodge podge that consists of snippets from famous songs. Paul-Emile Comeau
From "Sing Out" magazine, USA.... Sept. 2002
James Gordon: One Timeless Moment- with a full band and back-up vocalist Sandy Horne, James Gordon achieves a full, rich sound on One Timeless Moment. He's also a deft writer. "The Old Troubador" draws an affecting portrait of a used-up performer, while "Virginia's Day" depicts a life submerged in despair. Depressing stories perhaps, but well-told ones.
From "Penguin Eggs" July Issue---
James Gordon surely ranks as the hardest working man in the Canadian music business. Since leaving Tamarack, besides his normal touring and his children's shows, he gigged regularly on the CBC radio show Basic Black where he wrote songs about whatever the listeners suggested. Buoyed by a host of free ideas, Gordon came up with enough material for three pretty good CDs. And now, a new one of his own making.
Sparse production has always been his style, usually working in his studio at home and playing a myriad of instruments. So it is nice to hear him with a full band: Scott Merritt on guitar, Sandy Horne on bass and vocals, Peter Von Althen on drums, and Evan Gordon (his son) on organ. James only plays acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica , piano and banjo.
This live off the floor recording features a nice mix of songs from the country-rock historical story of Dan Macphee to the lovely and ethereal Michipicoten, to the folk singer feel of Another Big Box Store. James Gordon is really a remarkable Canadian performer. His body of work is truly original and One Timeless Moment just adds to is reputation.
By Les Siemieniuk
from the Orillia Folk Club Newsletter... August 02
James Gordon is a certified Canadian folk music journeyman, and is billed as the Second Hardest Working Man in Show Business. He has recorded dozens of albums, with his former band, Tamarack and solo, he has recorded two children's albums, he has penned a plethora of humorous songs for CBC Radio's Basic Black, and worked as a sideman and producer for countless other musicians. Gordon has recently released his new album, One Timeless Moment in collaboration with former Spoon's bassist, Sandy Horne.
From the opening electric guitar strains of Dan McPhee, one can hear it is a signature James Gordon collection. Drawing heavily on Gordon's folk foundation and Horne's pop sensibilities, the pair have laid a very listenable folk-rock soundscape on which to tell Gordon's stories. And what stories they are! James has written several volumes of Hometown Tunes which chronicles the stories of small towns throughout Ontario. The stories on this album draw on these home-town sensibilities without being tied to a specific place.
On Dan McPhee, James chronicles the frustrations of a family farmer who is no longer able to support his family by farming, but who is offered a great deal of money to sell out to land developers. In the chorus he cries, "I can't make a living on this farm any more, But I could make a killing if I quit." In Not Another Big Box Store, James sings a lament for the loss small family businesses who are disappearing because of the relentless push of large corporate discount stores into our small towns. Michipicoten transports the listener to the shores of Lake Superior and you can almost see the towering trees and great rock outcroppings as James sings of a moonlight drive across Superior's Northern Shore.
Perhaps the most haunting story on the album is told on Virginia's Day, in which James helps us crawl into the head of a lady struggling with schizophrenia, but maintaining the hope that everything will be all right.
In the middle of the album is a trio of Love Songs. On Unspoken, James writes, "Our love is unspoken, But it blows around us like the wind, Brushing against our skin." Rapunzel is the most singable song on the album. In it, James calls, for Rapunzel to let down her hair and he will "free her locked up soul." Sing with Me is a beautiful ballad, which could be destined to be a folk standard. The album ends with How Many Mistakes?, a lament for love lost.
James has surrounded himself with an excellent cast of musicians on this album. He plays guitar, banjo, harmonica, and piano. Sandy Horne provides bass and background vocals. Scott Merritt produced the album and plays electric guitar and keyboards. In addition there is Peter Von Althen on drums and percussion, Dennis Rondeau on double bass, Marion Linton on violin and Katherine Thompson on Cello.
In Gordon's mid 1980's children's album, No Grownups Allowed, his young son Evan declares that when he grows up he wants to be in his dad's band. Well he is now grown up, and his electric organ provides a lush background for his father's stories throughout this album.
Although One Timeless Moment is a departure from a purist folk sound, it is an excellent example of one of Canada's finest songwriters doing what he does best-telling the stories of ordinary people and ordinary towns.
Sean McGaughey a.k.a. cyberfolkie.
From the Moncton Times, May 22. 2002 James Gordon- One Timeless Moment- Borealis
THREE STARS!
The veteran singer/songwriter spins songs reminiscent of that other Canadian folkie named Gordon. Like Lightfoot's early work, One Timeless Moment is a collection of snapshots of Canadiana, from the wandering down-on-his-luck farmer in Dan McPhee to the pristine wilderness of Lake Superior in Michipicoten. Underneath it all, Gordon expresses melancholy over the things we're losing as a nation- the bulldozers paving over McPhee's farmlands, and the death of small-town life in Another Big Box Store...
Dave Gauvin, Moncton TImes
"Kevin's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews"-- Kevin McCarthy, May 2002:
James Gordon, while remaining a smoothly melodic tale-teller, has gone folk-edgy. He's expanded his repertoire by creating a new sound for himself and utilizing it on various cuts throughout his latest release, "One Timeless Moment."
Do not fret. This is not the blare of blazing guitar riffs that will send listeners scurrying for ear protectors. But it is enough to add a level of intensity and depth to the aforementioned songs that would be missing otherwise. Heck, on "Funny Old World," Gordon even appears to dip into a reggae and steel drum sound.
But, as always, there are the compelling stories.
"A Really Lousy Winter Day" deserves mention if for no other reason than the great opening line: "March came in like a cockroach, and it hung around for weeks..."
The verdict: this consummate professional has stretched his wings and we are the richer for it. Those familiar with his previous work should take to the familiar and the new. Newcomers won't know the difference and will enjoy the variety.
From 701.com review by Diane Wells-- May 2002
James Gordon (with Sandy Horne): One Timeless Moment
I was relaxing pleasantly through the first half of One Timeless Moment, when I
just about fell over in a spasm of laughter when 'Funny Old World' started with
the lines "He found it hard to be in love and make french fries simultaneously.
That's how he lost his job, down at the Burger King. It was a double loss, he
was in love with his boss." It continues with "He'd been a parking lot attendant,
before the recession. He made more than a nurse, though the uniform was
worse". Apart from playing guitar, piano, banjo and harmonica throughout the
CD, on this track James plays something called a mandola, while producer (and
musician in his own right) Scott Merritt adds some special effects and bassist
Sandy Horne (Spoons) sings backwards! Adding additional instrumentation on
the CD is Peter Von Alten, Dennis Rondeau on double bass, Marion Linton on
violin and Scott Merritt on keyboards and electric guitar, who also mixed the CD
with Paul Intson (Jamie Oakes).
Among the many outstanding ballads on the CD, including 'Sunset Song' and
'Unspoken' (with Katherine Thompson on cello) is 'Virginia's Day', with James on
electric guitar and his son Evan on organ. It's a song chronicling the life of
someone suffering from mental illness.
I think it's high time for this very productive and obviously compassionate
Canadian to be acknowledged by the Canadian public with his own star on
Canada's "Walk of Fame"!
From the Owen Sound Sun-Times, Feb. 2002 - by Brent Jeffries
On Friday night the Georgian Bay Folk Society presented James Gordon ( formerly of Tamarack) with Sandy Horne( formerly of The Spoons) at the Grey Granite Curling Club.
Guelph resident James Gordon and next door neighbour Sandy Horne took to the stage after Dunn. "It's great to be performing so close to home, just up Highway 6", declared Gordon. "Unfortunately however, I was in Vancouver last night, so I wasn't really that close!" he said. He was recording his show "Basic Black" for CBC Radio to air on Saturday. The duo performed selections from their brand new release entitled "One Timeless Moment" including "Dan McPhee" and "Michipicoten" and earlier material of Gordon's. Absolute standout performances included "Frobisher Bay" one of Tamarack's earliest songs,"Sweaters for Penguins" a Basic Black original and a song about September 11 entitled 'Bomb Them with Butter' which echoed the words...'bomb them with butter...attack them with peace'. James was marveled to see that the words had traveled across the Internet long before he had sung it once!
From the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 2001:
(by Matt Fink)
FAME REVIEW: James Gordon's Mining For Gold. ( excerpts):
"Only one of many underrated voices in Canadian folk, singer-songwriter James Gordon ranks near the top. "
"Disc 1 is comprised of songs written during his tenure with Tamarack. Many of Gordon's most memorable early songs are well documented here. From an a cappela rendition of Frobisher Bay to a duet with Cowboy Junkie Margo Timmins on the title track, we see the best of Gordon's standout work. No doubt, there is an intuitive appeal in Gordon's ruminations on traditional themes such as trains, gold miners, and farm life, but Gordon does just as well with contemporary themes, with his portrayal of lottery winners in Stuart and Lillian and the newfound awkwardness of their lives. When dealing with serious topics, like the bleak Fields of Rock and Snow and the tragic flood tale in Tugboat Days, Gordon always colors his characters with the utmost respect and humanity, utilizing startlingly vibrant and intense imagery to put the listener in the middle of their plight. Though joined by a large cast of musicians, Gordon almost renders their presence unnecessary, playing guitar, harmonica, pennywhistle, banjo, piano, accordion, and hammered dulcimer"
"Dwelling on Gordon's solo material, the second disc does a better job showing his eclectic approach to songwriting. With the world beat experimentation of Looking For Livingstone, which Gordon points out was actually recorded before Paul Simon had similar inclinations, we see a songwriter who isn't limited by genre restrictions. As he juxtaposes tales of gypsies and prairies with childhood memories and lonely travel journals, Gordon shows himself to be a first-rate poet. Small town ideals triumph in feisty protests like This Poor Old Village and Back Before Wal-Mart, where Gordon poignantly illustrates the advance of commercial interests at the expense of the traditional way of life."
"the man is easily one of the greatest songwriters I've heard in recent years and is worth searching out on the strength of those talents alone."
From the "Manitoulin Expositor", July 2001
"James Gordon charms his audience in Mindemoya"
The Mindemoya United Church was full to capacity Wednesday night as people gathered to be entertained by folksinger, songwriter James Gordon. This was Mr.Gordon's third visit to the island and he was accompanied by fellow musician Sandy Horne.....Anyone familiar with the CBC program Basic Black would recognize the hilarious ditties that Mr. Gordon performed throughout the evening... As much as the audience loved the comedic songs, they also loved his more serious folk songs such as the one about Lake Superior inspired by a concert in Chapleau. He dedicated a very moving song about losing the family farm to his good friends Dorothy and Jim Anstice. He and Ms. Horne also performed songs that Mr. Gordon wrote when he was with the folk group Tamarack...Ms. Horne played a couple of her own songs to the delight of the audience. The talented bass player plays for two groups, the Spoons and an all female group called Amaris....The successful concert had something for everyone with a blend of ballads, quirky humour and a touch of political activism.. Ruth Farquhar
....about the" Mining For Gold" album:
From the NAPRA Review, ( USA )March 2001
Don't judge this one by the cover. It belies the purity of the far-north folk music inside. ... This two-CD set covers Gordon's achievements with the successful Canadian group Tamarack as well as his flourishing solo career, plus 3 bonus cuts. As truly cherished folk music must, it laments, celebrates, protests, laughs, and cries. Simply good- folk as it was meant to be, as it always has been, and as it still is in the far North. Though he sings of foreign places and foreign names, the border between the U.S. and Canada disappears in a common heart.
From "Penguin Eggs"-- Edmonton , Alberta-- January 2001
A story-teller at Heart, Gordon frequently tells vivid, heart-wrenching tales. ...the last track, THERE IS NO SILENT NIGHT... is beautiful and haunting...
From THE RECORD, Kitchener Ontario, January 2001
"...I'm finally beginning to appreciate the rich songwriting heritage we are privileged to have in this area.... Guelph's James Gordon has played about as big a role as anyone in developing that legacy. All the proof is in the recently released Mining For Gold: Twenty Years of Songwriting. While Gordon is still remembered for the title track, which the Cowboy Junkies used to open their landmark Trinity Sessions album, the compilation rolls out 37 equally poignant snapshots of Canada's past and present.
From "Kevin's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews", California, USA
The secret is out. There are two James Gordons. The historical and cultural folk tale teller and the socially conscious, more reflective singer-songwriter. This retrospective release is generally split along these lines. The first offering, consisting of cuts from his days in the groupTamarack, primarily presents a musical history of the lives of miners,farmers, soldiers, fisherman and fur traders from Canada's past.
He opens with a powerful, a cappella version of "Frobisher Bay," a tune about whalers stranded in the Arctic ice. "Oh Klondike" depicts the seductive lure but chancy prospects of those afflicted with gold fever. "No Herring left in the Bay" frames the effects on community stability when away of life dissipates. The difficulty of the farming life in northern Ontario is wistfully pictured in "Fields of Rock and Stone:"
"...You clear the fields, you build the barn and you toil behind the plow
And all you've got to show for it is the sweat upon your brow
The farming's just too hard, you'll never reap what you can sow
And all that you will ever grow is fields of rock and stone..."
"Pawpine" is a sorrowfully true tale of an African native's failed and foiled attempts at repatriation. Kidnapped from Senegal and sold into slavery, he fights through two wars, is finally freed and granted a plot Canadian land. But he never returns to his homeland:
"...And in his dreams he still lives by the Gambia shore
Not the frozen grey Grand by his cabin door
Though they said he was free, still his heart stayed in chains..."
The second offering primarily hones in on personal and societal issues. "Without You," a cut about separation, opens with:
"I busy myself when I'm out on the road
With Zen and the art of counting hydro poles
And I'm getting pretty good at not letting it show
That it's harder and harder the longer I go
Without you..."
Excoriating the ominous effects of corporate giants setting up shop in and around smaller towns, Gordon sings in "Back Before Wal-Mart:"
"Back before Wal-Mart came to town
This was a going concern
On Fridays folks would come around
And spend their pay where it was earned
Well the hardware store was first to go
Those prices just got way too low
Soon the other stores were closed
And the lights went out on main street
Whatever happened to our little town
Wal-Mart has run it into the ground
Generations of hopes and dreams are all
Sitting down in a bank in Arkansas..."
A harrowing description of a war veteran's post traumatic stress disorder permeates "Harry In The Hole." "Hockey Town" laments the privilege afforded the small town sports stars who get away with abusive acts because they provide diversion and entertainment for community residents. "There Is No Silent Night," a not-so-jolly Christmas tune, contains the powerful chorus:
"...Maybe when you've decked your halls
Everything's all right. All is calm and all is bright
But in the dark where the flocks are no longer watched
And we're all kept out of sight
We don't sleep in heavenly peace, there is no silent night..."
On the lighter side, the playful "Looking For Livingstone" is a clever and fun cut. Gordon sings:
"...Oh there's a deep dark continent
Between what I said and what I meant
it's as big as an elephant
The space between us when I try to talk to you
We hunt the wild thesaurus, you can hear his mighty roar
He is standing before us, he is screaming metaphors
Oh now this language is so unexplored, I fear I am lost
I don't know what I'm saying anymore, how will I get across..."
Gordon has a pleasing, enjoyable voice and is backed by a multitude of instruments throughout this release. This is the release for both those unfamiliar with Gordon's work to date and those who prefer 'Best Of' compilations.
by Kevin McCarthy, 11/00
Find more of Kevin Mcarthy's online reviews at http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/index.html
From the Kitchener , Ontario RECORD, 11/00
Gordon's Mining For Gold strikes heart of motherlode
Guelph Singer/songwriter James Gordon marks his Borealis debut with Mining For Gold, a gold mine of traditional folk songs, many of which are Canadian classics. The double CD retrospective is significant because it traces 20 years of songwriting Gordon completed while at the helm of Tamarack, the country's premiere traditional folk group....
Highlights include the title track, made famous by the Cowboy Junkies and newly recorded here with Margo Timmins, and Frobisher Bay, Gordon's most covered song, in addition to Harvest Train, Lonesome Cowboy's Lament, Fields of Rock and Snow, Margaret's Waltz, Hockey Town and the previously unreleased There Is No Silent Night.
No collection of Canadian acoustic music can be said to be complete without Mining For Gold..
by Robert Reid
There's a talented young man named JAMES GORDON bouncing around Ontario justnow, gathering up steam to cross the border. James first gained a reputation as founder of the Canadian trio known as Tamarack, with whom he recorded and toured for a significant number of years-- long enough, anyway, to produce some 14 albums. He has a voice to which I could listen for hours and hours (and have!), as well as a breadth of subject matter unmatched by anysongwriter I've encountered. James' performance is filled with stories and songs that vary "from the historical to the hysterical"-- and it's worth subscribing to his newsletters if only to be buoyed up by his quirky sense of humor! Who else could distill a life's philosophy to: "If it won't move and you want it to, use WD-40. If it moves and you don't want it to, use duct tape. The rest of life is easy...."
Endangered Folk series, Milwaukee WI
From the Cdnfolk Digest--- Nov. 00
I thought I would just pass on (quickly) some notes about James Gordon's concert in Waterloo last night.It was TERRIFIC!! I know James has a concert coming up (tonight?) in Toronto - if you are hesitating about going, stop hesitating and GO! It will be one of your favourite concerts of the year.
I must admit I was not preapared for the great show that James put on last night. I know a lot of James' work, and there are many diamonds in there, but my concert experiences were mixed. Last night all the diamonds came out, thoughtfully displayed and all very nicely polished, thanks, no doubt, to work for his new 'greatest hits' release. Classic stories and story songs about the people making up this country. And some penguins in Antarctica.
Also new was Sandy Horne on bass and harmony vocals, and her presence was certainly a great addition. She also plays on some of the new album (which is also highly recommended!!), and I hope they can continue to commute across the driveway in Guelph (they're neighbours. I feel lucky when a neighbour has even HEARD of folk music.....James manages to find Sandy!)
Jack Cole
About "Pipe Street Dreams"
From "FOLK RAMBLES" magazine-- by Donna Scanlon
Pipe Street Dreams, the new solo effort by Tamarack founder James Gordon, is anything but a pipe dream. Not only did Gordon write and arrange almost all of the songs, he also accompanies himself on a startling and impressive variety of instruments: guitar, mandola, banjo, tin whistle, recorder, trumpet, percussion, synthesizer, organ, prepared piano, vocals, bass, hammered dulcimer, accordion ,piano and harmonica. Wow.
The songs are a collection of dreams, musings and stories which have a personal yet universal feeling. Each song has a distinct and original arrangement, masterful lyrics and Gordon's voice is light but not lightweight, warm and very pleasant on the ear.
"Robin Hood's Bay" launches the CD with a lively, frank yet gentle admission of the difficulties inherent in a relationship and the desire of the narrator to take his partner somewhere where they ca n leave behind the troubles in which they're entrenched. The catchy melody underscores the deceptively simple lyrics which seem very specific -- yet anyone can identify with the sentiments expressed.
"Cedar Strip" is about the narrator getting caught in the grind of working to support a family instead of paddling free in the little canoe purchased in the early years of his marriage. It starts out plaintively, then picks up the pace as the narrator sings about sitting in the canoe in the middle of the garage, imagining himself on the river on a "thousand mile portage." The lyrics are a bitdespairing, a bit bewildered, but the harmonica accompaniment keeps a sense of balance and perspective.
The mood shifts with "If You Hear the River Call," a lovely sweet song using a river as a metaphor for a relationship. With piano and accordion weaving throughout, this is a gorgeous love song which will have you feeling mellow and glowing. Don't get too comfortable, though -- the next track is "My Insomnia," where edgy lyrics jitter over congas on a caffeine jag. A trumpet adds a late night jazzy sound. This song doesn't intrude on the previous track; rather, it insinuates itself into your consciousness.
Gordon turns to storytelling mode with "Jumbo's Last Ride," a poignant yet lively song about the friendship between two circus elephants, Jumbo and Tom Thumb, and how Jumbo has a last chance to be an elephant hero. Gordon conveys the story with heart but without sinking into sentimentality. A locomotive-like harmonic adds a rolling rollicking element, but don't be surprised if the story makes you blink back a few tears.
"Coke Oven Brook" is about the steel plant that both supported and literally poisoned a town. The narrator expresses anger that is passionate and focused: "I would take up Enoch's Hammer / And I'd smash that steel plant down / I would leave it just as broken / as it has left this town." This song reminds me very much of "Fisherman's Lament" on Great Big Sea's self-titled album.
A lilting whistle starts off "Far From Our Shieling," based on a poem by John Galt, founder of Gordon's hometown of Guelph, Ontario The words express a longing for the old world while facing the future with courage and hope. The tone turns urgent with "Did You Already Know," perhaps the most oblique song on the album, about a friend with an inner torment that shapes his life. Gordon then shifts into a bemused and humorous tone slightly touched with cynicism in "Lamas on the Road." This song is about the Tibetan lamas with the incredible voices who were on tour recently, and the juxtaposition of the spiritual world and the material world is deliciously incongruous.
A gentle waltz beat gives an old-fashioned air to the poignant "The Uneeda Rest," a story spun from a postcard of a hotel resort. The next track, "Too Canadian These Days" is an interesting and pointed exercise in Canadian geography and mood and might be mor meaningful to Canadian listeners, although perhaps malaise speaks universal language. In any case, it's a quirky and thought-provoking song.
"Hamilton Beach" is another reminiscence, this time about a summer vacation place lost to development. The specific details give it character, but again, the listener can identify with the sense of it. The accordion and the waltz tempo adds to the nostalgia. The C closes with "Isn't It Time To Go Home?" about the rigors of being a traveling band. There is bone-weariness in the song, with a chorus that is both plaintive and wry: "Not another tune to carry, Jesus, Peter, Paul and Mary / Isn't it time to go home?"
Gordon avoids the self-consciousness of many singer-songwriters; every song makes a connection with the listener and each is unique The lyrics sparkle with good poetry and vivid imagery, and the arrangements fit the lyrics perfectly. I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite track -- each speaks to me in a different way.
Do you enjoy good songwriting, good musicianship and thoughtful production? Look no farther than Pipe Street Dreams.
From the Winter 2000 edition of Sing Out Magazine:
Pipe Street Dreams:
James Gordon works weekly as a hired pen for the CBC, has hosted his own radio show, has recorded several children's folk operas and was a founding member of the trio Tamarack. This release reveals Gordon's musical tastes when he is free of assignment, and it is amazing that after meeting all these musical demands, that there are any melodies left. There are some beautiful ones here.
Many of the songs here are gentle lullabies, mixed beautifully with lyrics that blend geographical visions with emotional needs. They call for the quiet calmness of nature after or during the continuous call of life's necessities. Gordon is so against a direct reference to a self-centered emotional statement, that he constantly compares his mood to Canadian landscape. In "Too Canadian These Days," he is "empty in the middle"and as "far away as Hudson Bay" . Perhaps residents in a town in Alberta may feel offended by the flat or empty references, but it not meant as a statement on the people living there, only as a description for his mood.
On his more political tune "Coke Oven Brook," the realities of life again cloud desired outcomes. The families living around this town equate the factory smoke rising with the ability to buy dinner, and then the chorus shifts the sentiment. One generation realizes the price that the next will be paying and imagines revenge. This song does an excellent job pitting the very need for a livelihood against the need for life itself. A thoughtful approach to toxicwaste not unlike Patty Larkin's "MetalDrums" and Cosy Sheridan' s "Don't Go In The Water."
Several songs carry different moods."My Insomnia," though short on lyrics, has a featured trumpet solo and probably did take all night to record since Gordon plays all of the more than 15 instruments on this track. He harmonizes with himself often on the recording, and begins many a tune with a beautiful piano introduction.
Though he has several other solo albums to date, this one is released as he embarks on a solo career, leaving Tamarack after two dozen years. It's perhaps a musical reflection of the course the artist'sown life is taking, and the tunes suggest that pipe dreams of a slower paced life are attainable if you take the time to refocus.
In these beautiful melodies, you'll reassess your own use of time. AP
Music Protest Message Hits Home ( from the London Free Press )
Home County Folk Festival- By Joe Matyas, Free Press Arts & Entertainment Reporter
If the Home County Folk Festival audience is a good barometer of what the public thinks, Ontario Premier Mike Harris should take heed.
The deaths in Walkerton from contaminated water aren't going to be forgotten and easily washed away. Guelph folk singer James Gordon demonstrated that irrefutably last night when he sang a protest song about government cutbacks that elicited thunderous applause after the first chorus.
When the song was over, they rose to their feet and gave Gordon a standing tribute.
Known across the province for the hometown songs he writes and performs on CBC's Ontario Morning, Gordon clearly touched a nerve with these lyrics:
"Those families up in Walkerton gathered around those graves,
They're not thinking tonight about the money you have saved,
"They're looking at the common sense in it, why don't you ask them how
they think of your little revolution now?"
Gordon's song wasn't the only new protest tune heard at the festival, but it was the one that hit home hardest.
Recent Concert Review:
Barrie Folk Society House Concert Review by Al McNair
Saturday February 19, 2000: I'm sitting in the corner of Hope's living room with 2 dozen other really appreciative sets of ears and thinking how drop dead lucky I am to be here listening to James Gordon live! The simple truth is that James infects us with a sense of who we are, in our country, in our communities, in our souls. His words and tunes touch our inner feelings about these basic things in our lives.
"Coke Oven Brook" reminds me of recent TV pictures of a local guy in Sydney, Nova Scotia trying to clean up some of the mess of these tar ponds by shovelling the gunk into a garbage can, since nobody in any government is doing anything about the mess. This is a protest song thatwould do Phil Ochs proud. The haunting guitar melody and the chorus just grabbed me...
His lighter, sillier side comes out with jokes about Hope's piano and songs like "Too Canadian These Days" and "Lamas on the Road". But for all these and other newer tunes, many from his recent Pipe Street Dreams CD, my personal hit from the evening is "Pawpine"- the story of a slave from Senegal who survived to old age and eventual freedom in Canada but was never to return to his home "by the Gambia shore" - and I'm proud to be caught softly singing along withhim.
James Gordon carries on a wonderful Canadian talent for telling us our own stories and striking an inner chord with his audience, much like Gord Lightfoot and Stan Rogers have done so well.
A wonderful performance!
"What an incredible performer he is. He played 2 one hour sets for us, music from both his new albums as well as some of his older work. The relationship between James and the audience was great! " John Gotscheff- Calgary Alberta
HERITAGE MUSIC REVIEW November, 1999 - Seattle, Washington
JAMES GORDON: A POWERFUL CANADIAN SONGWRITER CHARTS A SOLO COURSE
By Doug Bright
In 1978 a self-professed history buff, singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist named James Gordon founded a folk trio in his native Ontario ..... For the next 21 years, Tamarack built a national reputation with hearty vocal harmonies and a repertoire of spellbinding original ballads about the fascinatingly diverse realm of Canadian lore and lifestyle. This year, however, Gordon has taken a bold and, to many fans, shocking step, leaving the well-loved group to begin a solo career. His first album as a soloist, PIPE STREET DREAMS, has just been released here in the States by the Wind River label, a subsidiary of Folk Era Records in Naperville, Illinois.
Named for his home studio on Pipe Street in Guelph, Ontario, PIPE STREET DREAMS is a piece of classic one-man craftsmanship, with James Gordon playing all the instruments. The sound is intimate and acoustic, and the melody lines are characterized by the kind of eloquent folksimplicity for which Gordon is known and loved. While his prior work with Tamarack has tended to focus on Canadian historical themes, the new album takes a more current perspective. This is basically an album of songs about simple but cherished dreams and pleasures lost to thechanges and demands imposed by contemporary life. In "That Old Cedar Strip", a busy, work-worn family man gazes at the canoe from his carefree courtship days as it sits idly in the basement of his suburban home and wonders, "How did me and that cedar strip end up here at all?" "Jumbo's Last Ride" offers a poignantly anthropomorphic view of circus life from the elephant's perspective. "Coke Oven Brook" is a sobering protest song about a steel mill town where pollution and disease are the price of job security. "If I could take up Enoch's hammer, I would smash that steel plant down," Gordon's protagonist-commentator declares. "I'd leave it just as broken as it has left this town." In one of the album's most powerful songs, "Did You Already Know", a father wishes, in retrospect, that he had not been so quick to discourage his then-young son's Kerouackian quest for freedom and fulfillment.
No subject is too sacred to escape the laser beam of James Gordon's honest songwriter gaze, not even the grain of truth that underlies his country's perceived national character. "I'm feelin' just a little too Canadian these days," he laments. "I'd do somethin' about it, but that wouldn't be like us. We're not inclined to shout it out or make any fuss." While this American observer has certainly met enough emotionally remote Canadians to get the point, I have, in all fairness, also seen the other side of the coin. The people with whom I've spent the most time up north are fairly passionate about the music, ideas, and institutions they value, but then, that's what I get for hanging out with a bunch of folkies in Victoria.
"...The album, Gordon's most intimate, is certainly an acoustic tour-de-force. But, more than anything, it confirms his stature as a songwriter who, like Gordon Lightfoot, the late Stan Rogers and a few others, has embraced the breadth and depth of this hauntingly perplexing country."
November 99, The Record, Robert Reid, Kitchener ON
"I recently received my copy of James Gordon's latest release. I love it. He possesses one of the most distinct voices in Canadian music and puts it to work well on this CD. There are plenty of good songs on this disc but, two struck me personally. His ironic lament, Too CanadianThese Days, can be read on two levels. Nationally and personally. It becomes tiresome living up to perceptions whether they are our own or something conceived by someone else. We get caught up in our own mythology and build walls around ourselves based on these perceptions.
I'll quote to illustrate what I'm saying, "Got no goals, got no defences... Getting tired of riding fences, that's our national disease." and "I'd do something about it but that woldn't be like us, we're not inclined to shout it Out or make any fuss." and "We prefer to keep them covered up(our feelings) with ice and snow." We tend to be a cool stand-offish people. I know because that song is about me. My passion only comes out when I write and no one can see me.
The other song that I particularly liked and found poignant was, Isn't It Time To Go Home. Perhaps it is a personal song to James. More than likely considering his reasons for leaving Tamarack. This is more than just a song about being road weary. It also has something to say about the folk music world in general, something I've noticed. He says, "The audience is getting older, the winter is getting colder, And it's been years since I was warm or young." and " Too many guys with guitars too many wannabe stars". A very good solo recording full if terrific songs that require close listening. This isn't simple story telling though it can be taken at that level. Put your ear close to the speaker for this and listen between the lines. There is a lot of activity going on in those supposed blank spots."
Russ Musgrove, Canadian Folk - Internet Digest
On "Pipe Street Dreams"... the songs are rueful reflections on youthful dreams and the passage of time"
Lynn Van Matre, the Chicago Tribune
"The former mainstay of folk trio Tamarack weighs in with a keen but rueful ode to the "Canadian-ness" that infects us all. (From "Pipe Street Dreams", DROG)
"Too Canadian These Days" ( Number Nine on John Sakamoto's "Anti-Hit" List- Canoe On-line Music Magazine- July 99-
"Ex-Tamarack member James Gordon's maiden solo effort is a curious amalgamation--his smooth, easy-to-listen-to vocals are quite charming but the variety of subject matter he hoes throughout this release has some especially dark and weedy corners: emigrating with the prayer of a better life, bewilderment about time's passage, animals abused in out-of-character rituals solely for the amusement of humans, insomnia, environmental excesses producing both lost jobs and serious illness, the oxymoron of religious commercialism, both first and unrequited love, national identity, progress and profits at the expense of community, and the struggles of the performing life.
The effect is disarming as his beguiling music eases the listener into a tete-a-tete with rather sobering subject matter. His is not an in-your-face style and his subtlety provides an opportunity for enlightenment without being off-putting.
There are 13 offerings here and nary a weak cut among them....it is a high-caliber work of art from a performer of substance. His musings will entertain, educate and cause reflection.
Kevin McCarthy ,Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews
Reviews of previous work:
"James Gordon is a fine singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist- credits include guitar, harmonica, banjo, recorder, pennywhistles, bodrhan, accordion, piano, tin whistle...and I almost forgot, the hammered dulcimer! However, it is the range and depth of Gordon's songs that is so special, honed to perfection"
Detour Magazine, Great Britain
"Gordon has a feel for the totality of Canada like few songwriters. In songs such as That Old Margaret's Waltz and God Snapped her Fingers he expresses deep emotions in fresh ways. Gordon's razor-edged social commentary is evident in many songs". When you consider such songs as Mining for Gold, Harvest Train, Frobisher Bay, Fields of Rock and Snow and Lonesome Cowboy's Lament, you end up with as enduring a handful of songs as has ever been written in this country by a single writer....
The Kitchener-Waterloo Record
"He makes the local universal. The big-voiced Gordon shines both on portraits of women ("Francine" and "Ivy" ) and on topical tunes. Gordon passed my folksinger litmus test of commenting on his life and times"
The New England Folk Almanac
"It's nice to know that someone is out there producing this kind of music. The fun is in listening to it a few times.. reflecting a bit and shedding the odd tear"
The Canadian Folk Music Bulletin
Is there another word for synonym?
George Carlin