reviewed by Michael
Considering Feist thinks him a living legend and Jason Collett thinks he’s the best songwriter of his generation, I’m surprised that it took me so long to finally hear of Al Tuck.
Earlier this month, Tuck released his seventh album, Under Your Shadow. Having no prior knowledge of Tuck or the music he makes, I was quite impressed by how much of an impact he makes with his music despite his soft demeanour.
Of course it also helps that his opening track “Slapping The Make On You” is one of the most instantly memorable songs I’ve heard in a long time. Tuck sings with soft and deep vocals and is for the most part supported by simple guitar picking (in fact, most of his album is simply this). Later on, a musical interlude will please the ears with pipes, and if you listen close enough you’ll hear Joel Plaskett providing backup vocals.
Other tracks on the album are similarly dreamy, such as “None But Your Mother.” In fact, this dreaminess pervades much of this album, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. Despite such minimal instrumentation, the songs never feel empty.
Tuck also has a seriously sharp wit. “Yawnsville” is a devilishly clever song that sounds like it should be an ode to a beautiful woman but instead mentions all of her worst qualities. At the end, Tuck sings about ending with a yawn while yawning. I of course immediately yawned after his yawn in the song, and as I write this paragraph I can’t stop yawning. It’s so contagious!
“Every Day Winning” is a very charming song, presumably about the father of a child who no longer gets to see his daughter as often. One line of the song mentions the girl hanging around “her mom and the boyfriend.”
“Hello, Prince Edward Island” is quite obviously a track recorded live (and in PEI, no doubt), and the audience laughs several times in response to some of Tuck’s lines in the song. It’s only just more proof that Tuck is a very clever songwriter.
The album “ends” on a strong note with the title track. Make sure not to miss the album’s hidden track, “O Come O Come Emmanuel” which is sung with a biblical intensity.
Under Your Shadow is available via New Scotland Records. You can also stream or purchase via Bandcamp.
Top Tracks: “Slapping the Make On You”; “Under Your Shadow”
Rating: Hunting Call (Excellent) +*swoop*
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