Jerry Leger

Traveling Grey

Reviews Folk & Country Jan 24 2011

By Kerry DooleThis is the fourth album from hardworking Toronto, ON troubadour Jerry Leger, and it deserves to bring him wider recognition. He has flown a little under the Canadian roots scene radar, but has earned the respect of such peers as Ron Sexsmith, Fred Eaglesmith and Jim Lauderdale. The fact that he's made an impact in Nashville and the South is revealing, likely attributable to his "old school" approach to songwriting. Not many young songsmiths can use a '60s word like "babe" convincingly, but Leger can. His expressive vocals are always front and centre, though he's more than ably accompanied by a fine band, including guitarist/album producer Tim Bovaconti (Sexsmith) and fiddler/multi-instrumentalist James McKie. Leger's lyrics are imaginative, fusing folk and country elements seamlessly. There's nice diversity to the tempos and tones. "Dreamer, Pretender," the title track, and "Is He Treating You Good?" are primarily solo and acoustic, while "Whistling That Lonesome Tune" is built upon melancholy piano. By contrast, there's a robust full band feel to "Truth is All Around You" and "John Lewis." At 25, Leger clearly has a bright future ahead of him.

There's a warm, relaxed sound to the album. Was this an easy one to make?
It is the most spontaneous record since my first one, which was done in two days. When I got back from touring out East last July, I just had this bug: "I need to make a record." Initially, I wanted to make a full band record with lots of energy, like we do live. On the other hand, I had all these other songs written that I really loved. It was much easier to just go into Tim Bovaconti's studio and knock this album out. The band are on half and the other half is me with tickles of other instruments. Everything happened really quickly and there weren't really even any demo sessions. "Truth is All Around You" was written at four a.m. the night before the sessions. You can hear that everybody is just finding that song at that moment.

Any theory about the warm response in the South?
I'm in no way knocking Toronto or Canada, but it feels that I don't need any gimmicks down there. In the States, they're very curious about where the songs come from ― my music doesn't have any gimmicks and I can't make up any. To me, music scenes are kind of weird ― some of the best songwriters always felt on the outside; I always did, even when I was starting in folk clubs at 17. I'd just go there to play my songs and see what happened. I had no desire to be accepted in any circle. I'm excited that some kid will discover what I'm doing then find out I have six albums. I feel I'm building a story.

Are you pleased with the initial reaction to the record?
It's a little too early, in terms of reviews. I gave Ron Sexsmith an advance copy and the first thing he said to me was, "I think this is the best record you've made." People have said it's the best I've ever sounded, vocally. I'm like, 'Okay, sure.' It felt good, but I never thought, "I'm singing or writing better than ever." At this point, I feel I made a good record, but getting validation from people I respect is great. You never quite know what people will make of it, but you can't really care about that kind of thing.

To me, the album has a warm and relaxed sound. Were the sessions enjoyable?
That'd make sense. It's the most spontaneous record since my first one, which was done in two days. This one rather came about from when we were touring out east most of July [2010]. When I got back, I just had this bug: I need to make a record. Initially, I wanted to make a full band record with lots of energy, like we do live. But to record a full band album a lot more has to go into it, and a huge budget, if you want to do it properly. On the other hand, I had all these other songs written that I really loved. I had in my mind putting two records out, but that's a rather stupid idea these days. For this one, it was much easier to just go into Tim Bovaconti's studio and knock this album out. The band are on half the album and the other half is me with tickles of other instruments. The band didn't even know about these other songs. Everything happened really quickly. The past couple of records were more thought out. There weren't really even any demo sessions for this album. One song was written at four a.m. the night before the sessions. After a show at the Cameron, I got home and had this idea in my head. It's the first song on the album, "Truth is All Around You." You can hear that everybody is just finding that song at that moment; I like that about it. "John Lewis" is the only song that had been in our set for a year or so, and that's the biggest band arrangement on the album. I think it's a great little record, but I'm already itching to do another one. That is just how I am: constantly writing and wanting to lose money. I think this is a good progression from the last record and to the full band record we will eventually make.

Page 2 »
(Independent)

GET IT!