Jason Lang

Becoming a singer-songwriter was certainly a predictable destiny for Lang. He's the son of veteran Canadian folk songstress Penny Lang and late American folk great Dave Van Ronk, and has had success as a producer and sideman for some major Quebec artists (the McGarrigle Sisters and Luba included). This is his solo debut and somewhat surprisingly, given his lineage, many of its tunes are more pop than folk in feel. Covers of "With A Little Help From My Friends," "Roxanne" and "I Want You Back" are nice enough but rather pointless. Lang has a warm and pleasant vocal style, one that has a Sting-like vocal affectation on some songs, including the title cut. He both produced and played most of the instruments on this, his debut solo album, and the musicianship and production values are strong. As he finds more of his creative voice, Lang will merit watching.