Second-Hand
Borealis, 2022
9/10
The JUNO and CFMA award winner James Keelaghan returns with 10 well thought out pieces, where co-writes from Catherine MacLellan, Coco Love Alcorn and Lynn Miles, among others, help illuminate his rich baritone across the eloquent landscape.
“Walk On” starts the listen with Bob Stagg’s spirited organ alongside Adam Lalonde’s precise drumming and Keelaghan’s expressive singing, and the title track follows with soothing backing vocals from Pharis and Jason Romero to complement the timeless folk quality.
“Before The Morning Sun” resides at the halfway point, and it’s a poetic album highlight that sprinkles graceful piano over the sublime acoustic guitar, while “Gave It All Away” lands in ballad territory, where Kelly Prescott’s gorgeous voice adds even more allure to the profound beauty.
“Eulalie” and “The Benefits Of Surrender” exit the listen, where the former is quite heartfelt in Keelaghan’s cautious, stirring delivery, and latter contains much mature song craft that lyrically addresses the importance of surrender.
There’s a reason why Keelaghan is considered by many to be Canada’s greatest songwriter, and these folk rooted tracks certainly reinforce that idea, and are likely to garner even more praise his way.
Travels well with: Murray McLauchlan- Hourglass; Stillhouse Junkies- Small Towns