Covering tracks
author: Claude Gagne
Dale covers the ground he was raised on prior to saying goodbye. His nostalgic melodramatic view of Gaspe is heartfelt, sincere, and one that is popular among his kin. This album depicts not only stories but emotions that are felt throughout the peninsula ever since the mining has dried out and the fishing industry depleted. What's sad is that the most beautiful region that Quebec has to offer is not funded or developed to help support the residents.
Hats off to Dale for keeping this album personal and not political.
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Great songwriting...
author: Kevin Mark
You know how to tell a good tune? When it sounds great with just an acoustic guitar and vocals. Mr. Boyle does just that and invites the listener into a virtual story book (very cool idea!) with tales from his small hometown. It sounds as if this CD was recorded live - the way an acoustic album should be. Boyle's guitar work is superb throughout. This is a kick-back-and-listen kind of album that puts you right in the same room with the artist the moment it was recorded. Highly recommended.
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"That's real folk blues"
author: Dean Cotrill (The Hour)
Think of this as Highway 132 Revisited. Dale Boyle soul-searches his roots through a 10-song itinerary that leads from his Gaspé home to the big city and back. He sings mostly sotto voce with solo guitar accompaniment through three themes: Hard Luck Town, Concrete and Steel and Anywhere But Here. The opener A Small Gaspé Town sets the mood - growing up anglo was an invitation to get lost and get a life somewhere else. Boyle took inspiration from Steve Earle's storytelling acumen and there are moments that recall his style. Boyle mainly conjures country folk, but if there's a signature tune here it's Walking Shoes On, a 12-bar with a simple syncopated and sing-alongable hook. There's also The Wilbert Coffin Story, where a wrongly accused miner meets the hangman. That's real folk blues. (www.daleboyle.ca)
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