JOHN GULIAK AND THE LOUGAN BROTHERS
Black Monk (Mint Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Canadian singer/songwriter John Guliak has moved to Vancouver and teamed up with an all-star group of players from the area's burgeoning country music scene to augment his solo career. The Lougan Brothers aren't brothers, and there are no Lougans, but they're terrific interpreters of Guliak's original tunes and some excellent covers of the likes of Tompall Glaser, Wilco and the Stanley Brothers.

The centerpiece here, though, are Guliak's compositions, which are moody, literate observations of the migration of Canada's population from the rural prairies to the growing cities. It's an old story elsewhere, but it's contemporary in the Provinces, and Guliak himself is an example of the phenomenon, which may contribute to the quality of insight he brings to his subject. He's an expressive if not pure singer and he has an engaging tale to tell. Combined with strong instrumental support, he's made an album that compels us to broaden the concept of Americana to include a broader piece of the continent.

Track List:

Streets Of Baltimore * Further Down The Road * Oh! Canada * Worm Dance * Ready * Loretta * Living On Grace * Old Slewfoot * Follow Me * Hey! Hey! Hey! * Time And Time Again * Still Be Around * The Jig

© 2002 - Shaun Dale