CITY AND COLOUR

Little Hell

2011-07-07

City and Colour is the work of a talented Canadian singer/songwriter named Dallas Green (get it--a city and a color--and also the same name as the former U.S. baseball manager of the Phillies, Yankees and Mets). He's also well-known in Canada for being the lead vocalist of the rock band Alexisonfire, but this former "side" project now seems to be eclipsing the rock outfit, gaining Green a national Juno Award in 2007. This effort is full of stories of people facing difficult life circumstances, often crumbling or about-to-crumble under the weight, but often Green leaves one or two lines of lyrical hope for survival. As in the opener "We Found Each Other" (And when the smoke does finally pass/We will rise above all the ash); "Northern Wind" (Like an old guitar/Worn out and left behind/I have stories still to tell/Of the healing kind); and "O'Sister" (But the blackness in your heart won't last forever/I know it's tearing you apart, but it's a storm you can weather). Most of the songs are introspective folk, with Green's expressive singing resonating with emotion. "Little Hell," "Weightless" and "Hope For Now" feature more electric guitar and harder-edged solos. Substantive work, skillfully delivered. Michael J. 7/11 F-Indie

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 07/2006

    BRUCE COCKBURN
    Life Short Call Now

  • reviewed 09/2011

    POKEY LAFARGE AND THE SOUTH CITY THREE
    Middle of Everywhere

  • reviewed 10/2014

    DEAD FINGERS
    Big Black Dog

  • reviewed 12/2012

    THE HANGDOG HEARTS
    The Hangdog Hearts

  • reviewed 06/2007

    THE SPARES
    The Spares

  • reviewed 08/2007

    JOE HENRY
    Civilians

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.