Hourglass
True North, 2021
8/10
A Canada Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and 11 time Juno Award winner, the legendary Murray McLauchlan is 73 years old now, and he shows no signs of his song craft waning, as this 20th album thematically surrounds racism, privilege and economic disparity.
“The One Percent” starts the listen with warm pedal steel from Burke Carroll as complicated acoustic guitar and agile drumming thanks to Al Cross make for a timeless Americana opener, and “Pandemic Blues” follows with much beauty amid a poetic and folk influenced display of thoughtful song craft.
Halfway through, “Hourglass” displays McLauchlan’s inviting pipes alongside much beauty, while “A Thomson Day (For Tom Thomson)” moves with vivid storytelling and Victor Bateman’s subtle bass making an impression. “Lying By The Sea (For Alan Kurdi)”, another cautious tune, then showcases meticulous picking alongside a dreamy climate.
At the end, the playful “Shining City On A Hill” show a little ruggedness amid his classic country nods, and “Wishes” exit the listen with McLauchlan putting a firm exclamation point on a very well crafted and precisely delivered outing.
Few artists will have careers as long or esteemed as McLauchlan, who, after 6 decades of writing songs, again proves that he truly deserves to be the national treasure he is.
Travels well with: Catherine MacLellan- Coyote; Leeroy Stagger- Strange Path