David Harvey

Hailing from Hamilton, ON, this young singer/songwriter has barely been at it for four years, but this debut album already shows him to be on strong footing. His songs strike a nice balance between pop hooks and traditional instrumentation, evident in the conviction with which he leads his loose band. Anyone familiar with Royal City, or even Hayden, will definitely appreciate it. Particularly effective are the crunchy opener "Red 2 Blur 2 Gone," the even more hard-edged "Promises And Punchcards" and his ode to a notorious hometown night spot, "The Hudson." Harvey's obviously listened to Richard Buckner a lot too, as his voice contains a lot of the same high lonesomeness. And like Buckner, he uses the perfect colours to cover up whatever limitations might exist in the music, from strings to mandolin, dobro and banjo. From top to bottom, a rough and ready debut that bodes well for the future.