NATHAN WILEY
High Low
Warner
· Originally from P.E.I., Nathan Wiley finds himself residing somewhere between cool and suck.
After the shambling, roughshod EP Bottom Dollar garnered significant attention, in part owing to winning CBC’s Definitely Not the Opera best unsigned-talent contest, Nathan Wiley’s stock skyrocketed. Now, he returns with High Low, a confusing, bipolar album that seems to have the heavy-handed imprint of "major label" all over it. Yes, there are tracks that resemble the somewhat eccentric, moody work of his debut. But these are interspersed between songs where you can picture the A and R rep sitting in the studio encouraging Wiley to try to be less raw and more, well, adult. High Low is an album that seems equally split between the folk clubs, the grimy dives and Hot AC (that’s adult contempo) radio. Wiley is at his best when he is rough and tumble, evoking the spirit of Tom Waits more than Dan Bern, and there are examples of it here, "Bride on Fire" being the best of the bunch. But immediately following it is the insipid "Hey Hey," featuring the chorus, "I don’t know your name/but I want you anyway," and the line, "The only thing I know/A tired one-man show." Yes, he used it. If ever an argument could be made to buy the songs you like, High Low is it. A disappointment, especially given the obvious talent Wiley can tap into.
THE PART THAT SOUNDED NOT READY FOR "AT WORK RADIO" 3/5
THE REST 1/5
DEREK McEWEN
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