Album Notes

What The Critics Say:


"A gifted guitarist, songwriter and performer with a musical reach that knows no limits ... honest, gritty lyrics and refreshing musicality."
Andy Frank - CIUT FM

"... this Torontonian has put together that rare thing: a singer-songwriter’s record that doesn’t neglect to showcase musicality alongside lyric and songcraft... Keep an eye on this one."
Stuart Henderson - UmbrellaMusic

"It's music for music lovers, songs for the spiritual, an album for the inspired... Go out and see him now, before the bars get too crowded."
Erica Basnicki - Soulshine Magazine

"Diab is an expressive vocalist with a keen melodic sense and a bit of a whiskey rattle, a la Jeff Tweedy... Well crafted and thoughtfully arranged... "
Chuck Molgat - Exclaim

"[A] solidly-crafted 11-song debut... prickly pop... reverberating aural collage... [and] a roiling crest of surf guitar."
Vit Wagner - The Toronto Star

"...echoes of Ron Sexsmith can be heard in Diab’s well-written and incisive songs. [He] may be a relative unknown at the moment, but he certainly doesn’t deserve to be."
Steve McLean - Canadian Music Network

"A splendid record... [Diab has] a knack for crafting his own gems..."
Alex Steininger - In Music We Trust

"While Amer Diab's first solo record is good, it reveals even greater potential... Diab's voice, roughed with the finest sandpaper, is earnest, and so is the look in his eye... You'll want to see what comes next."
Lauren Ferranti - Chart Magazine

"...Diab transform[s] alternately into a country-rock Elvis Costello... and a bruised-up Jackson Browne..."
Stuart Berman - Eye Weekly

"...a debut that evokes crying in your beer and smoking rollies at the Matador..."
Sarah Liss - Now Magazine

"Diab grits his teeth and carves out a raw, rustic sound that recalls the wiry work of Ryan Adams..."
Steve Baylin - Ottawa Xpress

"A marvelous record... it’s only a matter of time before a swarm of industry vultures hop onto the Diab bandwagon."
Toni-Marie Ippolito - Scene And Heard

"Honest lyrics set to a moody, yet melodic backdrop, make The Year of the Apology a pleasure to repeatedly spin - certainly not something to apologize for."
Ryan McLaughlin - Canadian Musician

"Well crafted songs that showcase a delicious blend of hypnotic musicality alongside strong lyrics... With appealing vocals, the album starts strong and gets even better as it goes along, and then gets stronger still with repeated listens."
Kimberly Logue - The Spill Magazine