Every once in a while, a musical treasure drops into your lap, a disc you can’t resist playing over and over again. There’s no filler to interrupt the musical flow and plenty of variety to keep you interested. 

When such a CD is released by a local act, well, that’s when you really stand up and take notice. Jane Eamon’s a different place is such an album, without a doubt one of the best to come out of the Valley in the past decade. A heavy-duty endorsement, perhaps, but true. Not since the Cruzeros’ El Nino has there been such a strong Okanagan release.

Where to begin? There’s the infectious Robinson Caruso Blues, for instance, with only Norm Strauss’s bluesy guitar picking and Eamon’s vocals pushing the song along. Simplicity sometimes speaks volumes.

There’s also the absolutely gorgeous Starlight Parade, co-written with Dave Sopel and only tune Eamon did not pen alone. It’s a great love song - and tells a great story to boot.

Eamon remembers the past as well, giving us the insightful Lady of the Blues, which pays tribute to the likes of Memphis Minnie, Ma Rainey and Alberta Hunter. (Eamon may even raise a few feathers here, comparing Memphis Minnie’s guitar picking to the likes of Muddy Waters.)

My favourite track is Ruckus in the Henhouse, a rollicking tune and one of the best commentaries yet on the sad state of current global affairs. Eamon tells us “faith is on the auction block”, that “terror is a currency” and that “everybody’s praying too loudly to be heard”. (Whew - just think of the madmen doing the decapitating in Iraq and the cowboys shooting up the White House and you know the situation can’t be described any better than that.)

Ruckus in the Henhouse, like a number of songs here, features some great musicians. There’s Poppa Dawg from Dogskin Suit on slide, Sherman “Tank” Doucette on harp, Scott Gamble on drums, and Andrew Smith on mandolin and guitar.

Other great tunes? There’s Momma Can You Help Me, an acapella “women’s working song” in which Eamon is joined by Deborah Lee, Sherri Funk and Tabitha LeMaire.

“We sat in the studio and sang live like we were working in the fields,” says Eamon. “No musical background  - just a tambourine.”

The Blue Madonna, Eamon’s first album, was a good CD, but her songwriting has grown by leaps and bounds since that last release.

The album is produced by Andrew Smith of Smith, Funk & Strauss. Other musicians on the CD include Gord Brush, Cam Ward, Michael Perkins and Yvonne Kushnier.
                            Read more...