Brent Mason

St. John, New Brunswick native Brent Mason is known in Atlantic Canada for the straight-ahead down-to-earth folk rock he’s been creating and recording for well over a decade. Mason’s sixth album Gloryland is a return to sparser, cleaner instrumentation after the more textured arrangements of 2002’s Hitcher on the Road. It is, however, a typical example of Mason’s narrative lyrical style and guileless vocals, which are jaunty and chipper no matter whether he’s mourning the loss of a lady love or bemoaning the sorry state of the world. The disc hangs together well despite progressing through a number of slight genre shifts — from folk to country to a hint of the blues. I sure wouldn’t say no to a smidge more twang to go along with that East coast drawl, but there is a touch of groove in Jason Vautour’s deft guitar work that makes Gloryland an entirely pleasant experience.