Album Notes

Reclining in a red velour chair after inhaling a cigarette on a balcony, Randy Hutchings eases into himself. The smoke and a little Jayhawks playing in the background has brought the Newfoundlander cum Calgarian into storytime mode, worthy of a few more cigarettes. A couple of hours in, he's just getting started.

Ten years after finally taking his guitar and music seriously, Hutchings is ready to face the music. His music. Having worked at record labels, music stores and covering the gamut playing solo and in cover bands, the 38 year-old singer/songwriter is looking for cult-worthy success. Big bucks and crowds would be nice but beside the point. Hutchings wants a suitcase of songs and endless destinations to play them at.

Atlantic Avenue should take him there. Hutching's Universal/Opening Day debut features a seamless mix of alt country, pop and atmospheric rock songs. Having lived through an ex-wife and a better wife, depression and a gambling addiction, Hutchings has no lack of material to draw from. That said, Hutchings faces his musical mirror leaving the pity outside its frame.

Produced by fellow singer/songwriter Lorrie Matheson and featuring legendary singer/songwriter Billy Cowsill, Atlantic Avenue is like a movie with an ambiguous ending. The plot and the characters come together but not exactly how you thought they would. Hutchings describes it as a snapshot of the last five years.

I don't wanna put out stuff that's black and white; I hope for an experience that's somewhere in between, he says.

"Leave" is a roots flavoured plea to his former addiction woes to pick up their bags and hit the road. "Waiting for the Girl" and "Too Much" are upbeat, hopeful pop songs that get stuck in your head. "Take Me Down" and "I Walk Alone" are lush emotional tugs-of-war.

Randy Hutchings is the everyman musician who knows how to tell your story, give it a twist and a life of its own. Listening is necessary; cigarettes are optional.