JAMES KEELAGHAN
a few simple verses
Jericho Beach Music
· Ex-Calgarian known for his songwriting skill, essentially records a covers album.
I’ve always thought that ex-Calgarian James Keelaghan achieved whatever success he has had on the basis of his skill as a songwriter first and only slightly less as a performer. That is why I was surprised to find that he decided to release what is essentially a collection of cover tunes. A strong argument can be made that he is turning the clock back and revisiting his ancestral and musical heritage but, even so, I was a bit disappointed to find only one original tune – co-written with Jez Lowe – on the CD. It is the definite highlight of this release.
Slightly less appealing, but still admirable, is his cover of a song by Dan Somers. It probably resonates more with me because it speaks of the prairie experience while most of the other songs do not. The performances are good and Keelaghan has once again enlisted the support of many of Canada’s most innovative and interesting musicians to help him in this project. They do their best, but I think he would have been better served by including a few more of his own compositions.
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