Strange Path
True North, 2019
9/10
A Canadian artist who cut his teeth in the Alberta punk scene, these days Leeroy Stagger is going on two decades as a singer-songwriter, and Strange Path certainly lives up to its title as Stagger wanders into plenty of unique textures from his alt-country starting point.
After the folksy strumming and rugged yet melodic vocals of “Mother”, Stagger jumps into the vibrant country rock of “Deeper Well”. From here things only get more unpredictable, with the electro-pop stylings of “Breaking News”, as well as the glam-rock swagger of “Strange Attractor”.
Deeper cuts bring us the breezy yet dark sounds of the ballad “These Things”, while the eerie “Leonard Cohen (Is Dead)” has Stagger even sounding like Cohen. “The Light” exits the listen with much weight, as it’s clear that Stagger has been through much in recent years, and it all unfolds with eloquence and much sophistication.
Stagger has aligned himself with an impressive band consisting of players for Elvis Costello and Neko Case, and the delivery here is flawless and sounds both crisp and spontaneous. Standing out in the deep pool of folk singers is harder than ever, but Strange Path easily leaves an indelible mark.
Travels well with: Deadstring Brothers- Cannery Row; Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot