As one of the driving forces behind the annual cross-Canada Hootenanny tour, Wright has assembled this latest album in a similar fashion, drawing upon a host of Canadian roots talent like Dan and Jenny Whiteley, as well as his old Weeping Tile partner Sarah Harmer. Yet, unlike some of his previous solo outings, Man Of Your Dreams finds Wright concentrating on the emotional impact of the songs, rather than simply showing off his bands bluegrass chops. The emphasis is clearly on heartbreak, and even if the message of the opening title track comes off as tongue-in-cheek, the exploration of the theme continuously gets deeper on "Things Twice and "Wooden Dreams, until by closing track "All The Glory theres a sense that some kind of love lesson has been proffered. Since the album itself only clocks in at 30 minutes, its an easy lesson to digest, and Wrights typically unadorned, back porch production style adds a lot of homespun charm. Man Of Your Dreams may not provide the rough-edged roots rock that some fans of the genre expect, but it is an accurate reflection of the Hootenanny community that continues to grow each time out.
Did you intend to have a lot of guests instead of your band the Wrongs?
What happened was I was laid up for three weeks because of knee surgery and during that time some friends got me into digital recording for the first time to keep myself occupied. I did a lot of parts on my own, but over the next year I would run into people who I thought would be good on the record. Wed just split from Universal, as well as our management, so there was really no pressure.
With all that time to work on it, why is the album so short?
I did record a lot of other songs but once I heard a theme emerging, I wanted to stick with it. To me, theyre the best songs that fit together. Were playing some of the outtakes live, and that might be the basis for the next album.
So, can one assume you were suffering a lot of heartache?
No, my songs arent a journal. I draw ideas from anywhere I can, whether its something someone I know is going through or just something I see on TV. Thats always been the attraction of roots music for me that you have a pretty huge canvas to experiment with.
(Snakeye)Did you intend to have a lot of guests instead of your band the Wrongs?
What happened was I was laid up for three weeks because of knee surgery and during that time some friends got me into digital recording for the first time to keep myself occupied. I did a lot of parts on my own, but over the next year I would run into people who I thought would be good on the record. Wed just split from Universal, as well as our management, so there was really no pressure.
With all that time to work on it, why is the album so short?
I did record a lot of other songs but once I heard a theme emerging, I wanted to stick with it. To me, theyre the best songs that fit together. Were playing some of the outtakes live, and that might be the basis for the next album.
So, can one assume you were suffering a lot of heartache?
No, my songs arent a journal. I draw ideas from anywhere I can, whether its something someone I know is going through or just something I see on TV. Thats always been the attraction of roots music for me that you have a pretty huge canvas to experiment with.
