Patrick Watson

Montreal’s Patrick Watson has created an album that isn’t constrained by the case that it comes in. Just Another Ordinary Day plays like the soundtrack to an imaginary movie, something reflected in the fact that Watson’s website contains trailers and short films to accompany some of the songs. But some of the songs are more than capable of standing on their own two feet. There’s a real classical element throughout the album, with lots of strings and woodwind swirling around in the background. It tries to shift between several different styles, but that attempt is one of the least successful parts of the album because Watson excels at one certain type of song and attempts to broaden his reach tends to fall flat. Just Another Ordinary Day might appeal to fans of the Divine Comedy, but it lacks the wit and panache to bring it wider exposure. It is, however, still a remarkably accomplished album that does exactly what it sets out to do.