CD Review

Title: Waiting For The Lights To Come Up

Artist: Steve Dawson

Label: Black Hen Music
Publicity: Killbeat Music

Released: Feb 5^th 2008

3 ½ Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey

The last song on Steve Dawson’s first of two albums to be released this year Waiting For The Lights To Come Up is called ‘Swinging In A Hammock,’ which just about aptly sums up the feel of this album.

Dawson is an acclaimed Producer, racking up 17 albums nominated for Junos, 4 wins, and named Producer Of The Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards, and so this album is as polished a product as befitting a Producer of his standard.

Simultaneously recording Waiting For The Lights To Come Up and Telescope (to be released later this year), Dawson has managed to compile two albums with differing energy but similar themes. Definitely energy plays a large part of this first album being released in early February as Waiting For The Lights To Come brings to mind those aforementioned swinging hammocks, and mixing in a little solitary sunset on a warm summer day.

Dawson is testing his music adaptability, playing with instruments such as the pedal steel guitar, slide guitar, pump organ, and Wurlitzer with effortless roots appeal. His music style does indeed seem both polished and rough around the edges at the same time. However, it’s Dawson’s laid back, sultry vocals of highwayman appeal that eclipses even the music stylings of this tightly wound yarn of tracks.

I did reduce to a chuckle at the more Elvis inspired Hawaiian twang set out on the tracks `Hard To Get Gertie,` and `Swinging In A Hammock,`which was oddly in-keeping with the overall energy of this collection.

Waiting For The Lights To Come Up is a welcome album as so much of music today consists of one-up-man-ship; Dawson brings a gentler style of music that heralds back to a commradery and collaboration in music that once thrived.

At Arms Length

Dry As Our Luck

Fire Somewhere

Walking Down The Line

Hard To Get Gertie

Room To Room

Somebody’s Got To Help You

Hurricane

Fun Machine One

Today’s Surprise

Ruin My Day

Swinging In A Hammock