Le GAUCHE et le DROIT
Justin Lacroix Band
Indie
7.5-out-of-10
Justin Lacroix is a Winnipeg-based artist who performs in both English and French, his bilingual roots used to good effect on Le Gauche et le Droit.
Lacroix's website notes "The show is bilingual. But wait! This is a good thing. Since French and English come naturally to them, embracing both languages as they surface allows a true expression of the soul."
I have to say when you hear Lacroix doing French cuts such as En vélo and De plus, soul is a rather appropriate word in terms of describing the feeling of the music.
Le Gauche et le Droit is Lacroix's second recording. It follows a solo bilingual recording (Boogieman-2005) which has sold 2000 copies to date, not bad for a Prairie indie disk.
The website also suggests the Lacroix band takes a rather natural approach to its music. "To play music the way it comes to you is how music should be made. This statement embodies the Justin Lacroix Band's approach. Whether the style is folk, rock or funk, the band creates meaningful arrangements to offer heartfelt songwriting as a craft and labour of love. Highlighted by a tight-knit rhythm section, imaginative guitar riffs and sweet 3-part vocal seduction, the live show is authentic and uplifting."
Lacroix, who will perform at 5th Avenue Cup & Saucer in Yorkton March 25, does a nice job of making his bilingual music accessible. He mixes in the French pieces allowing them to be enjoyed musically without becoming tired since there is a language barrier for a listener such as myself.
One to check out for something different.
Check him out at www.justinlacroix.com
- CALVIN DANIELS
EARTH HISTORY MULTIAMBIENT
Ohama
Indie
5-out-of-10
All right, let's preface this with a note that I think I learned something with Tona Walt Ohama's Earth History CD, I am not a particularly big fan of what the artist terms electronic synthpop.
Now maybe I am missing something here, but what I end up hearing is rather bland, repetitious music which might find a home in an occasional elevator music loop.
A case in point is the opening song on disk #1, entitled Hello, appropriate when you consider the word 'hello' is probably used a hundred-plus times in the near five-minute song.
OMG isn't much different with "Oh My God" used over and over and over and well you get the idea.
I can see the Alberta musician cringe, but this is very much an acquired taste.
When Ohama goes strictly ambient on Earth and Rebirth it's better, although by then I had basically lost interest.
Now if you like this sort of music then Earth History is a good value, as a three-disk set. But, if you don't like it, it just extends the tedium.
Check it out at www.facebook.com/pages/Tona-Walt-Ohama
- CALVIN DANIELS
Past reviews are archived online at http://calmardan.blogspot.com/
