Categories : Featured Review, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3.5/5 Released: October 10, 2006 Reviewer: Trent Depue |
The most engaging characteristic of Greg Keelor’s third solo release, Aprhodite Rose, is that rather than making an album that closely mirrors Blue Rodeo material, he instead strays from that sound and focuses on his other influences. This is apparent immediately with the albums opening track ‘No Man’s Land,’ which has a bit of a Grateful Dead feel to it. In fact, the sixties sound is more prevalent here than any other, most notably on ‘Colour & Rhyme,’ a Keelor tune that actually predates Blue Rodeo. British Invasion aside he also touches on the psychedelic with ‘Prisoner,’ while simultaneously giving us a glimpse into the darker side of his songwriting abilities – something we have been seeing more and more often (with Blue Rodeo’s ‘Phaedra’s Meadow’ being another example).
On Aphrodite Rose, Keelor enlists the help of a few heavy hitters as well. Sarah McLachlan lends her voice on two tracks, famed The Band collaborator Richard Bell deftly provides organ backing to ‘High Meadow,†and as can be expected, Sadies members Travis Good and Mike Belitsky lend a hand as well. This, of course, is when Keelor’s not doing it all himself, as this album is very much a do-it-yourselfer. From tracks where he is credited for playing all of the instruments, to producing and engineering the album, and even being responsible for all of the insert photography, he proves that his talents lie on both sides of the microphone.
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