Media Reviews for Seven Songs for Jim
Eye Weekly (Toronto) Review
Four stars (out of five)
Turning the amps way (way) down, this Blue Rodeo guitarist delivers a touching homage to his late father, who died in 2003. Sparse, home-recorded arrangements dominate the disc -- indeed, tracks like "Silver Sun" and "Deep Bay Road" feature Keelor's voice and guitar, unaccompanied. Only the heart-wrenching re-work of Blue Rodeo's "Are You Ready" opens up into a Creedence-esque dirge. Travis Good adds a few licks here and there but for the most part, Keelor tackles everything himself. And while some listeners may feel like voyeurs listening to Keelor exorcise his grief, it's nonetheless a beautiful set, gripping in its sincerity.
Soulshine ReviewLosing a dad is something no son is ever ready to face, no matter what your age. In the fall of 2003, Greg Keelor - one half of Blue Rodeo's songwriting tandem - faced exactly this as his dad passed away. Keelor decided the best way to grieve, like most wielders of the pen, was to write it down by recording a batch of songs in memory of his father. As he describes, "this record is the map of my mourning." That's exactly what these seven songs are: a lament to a lost love, and a grown man coming to terms with this loss. Naturally, the songs fit the mournful mood; the tempo is sleepy and sorrowful, appropriate for a funeral, rather than a wake. This sequence of songs touch your soul as you grieve alongside Keelor and follow his emotional journey from the realization that his father is dying to the burial and the lingering grief of this loss. Highlights include the emotive "Are You Ready" which sees Keelor promising to stay by his father's side and guide him on his journey to the other side. He poignantly captures this emotion with this line: "I'll cry the river that carries you thru." In "Deep Bay Road" Keelor recalls summers at the family cottage, waiting for his father to arrive on the weekends, while "Just this Love," captures the difficulty Keelor faced cleaning out his dad's apartment. Overall,
Seven Songs for Jim is a touching tribute by one of this country's finest songwriters.
Peterborough Examiner Review by Jeff Macklin
Five stars (out of five)
Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor has waited a long time to release his second solo set. His debut, Gone, based around his personal search for his birth mother was a raw and emotional collection. Seven Songs For Jim, his newly released set shares some of that karma, though this time around it is a sad goodbye set in song.
The set opens with a gutsy 8 and a half minutes of raw, intimate darkness under the not so obvious name "Silver Sun." This track opens with more than 4 minutes of instrumental guitar work which seems to instantly lay bare Keelor's heart. It is only after this length of time that Keelor lets his rough voice emit a soft-spoken moan.
Keelor comes clean with the rest of the set, remaining spare and
With no liner notes (none in my copy anyways), Keelor sends a very private, low-key message which aligns itself to these bare bones but beautiful songs.
Songs For Jim has not a hit song on it. But you can be sure, all 7 songs on the awesome E.P. form the kind of home run most singer/songwriters would die for.
Keelor performed songs from this, and his previous solo recording this past week at the Gordon Best Theatre, in what was part of a short 4 date solo tour which also touched town in Montreal, Wakefield and at Lee's Palace in Toronto. After that, his full time gig in Blue Rodeo kicks into high gear as they launch their new album, Are You Ready, with a full-blown, cross-Canada tour.
No rest for the wickedly talented.
