Category Archives: Music

#SundayMusic | Perfection | John Prine’s Remarkable, Eternal 1971 Début Album

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Guitarist Jason Wilbur played on stage with John Prine for 1999’s  Live from Sessions at West 54th

One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of his generation, John Prine was a master storyteller whose work was often witty and always heartfelt, frequently offering a sly but sincere reflection of his Midwestern roots, writing about the lives of ordinary people in a remarkable and perceptive way.

Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, often with elements of social commentary and satire, as well as sweet songs and melancholy ballads.

John Prine’s first record, simply titled John Prine (Atlantic, 1971), featured a photograph of the slightly impatient-looking young singer-songwriter seated on a bale of hay, hands cradled in his lap, with his guitar standing upright nearby.

The austerity of the image was a good reflection on the album’s contents: a baker’s dozen songs clocking in at about 43 minutes, performed mostly on acoustic guitar with a spare backing combo, delivered in a straightforward nasal drawl, with titles like Sam Stone, Donald and Lydia, Hello in There, Illegal Smile, and Souvenirs.

Beneath the casual simplicity of the presentation lies a treasure trove of lyrical beauty: detailed portraits of despair and loneliness, interspersed with witty cultural commentary about dimestore patriotism, back-to-nature movements, and the justice system’s obsession with people’s “illegal smiles.”

That first record wasn’t a big seller.

It peaked at #156 in the Billboard charts in 1972, a year after its initial release. But that small splash had big ripples down through the years. John Prine not only set the tone for his half-century career, it influenced several generations of American singer-songwriters working in the rock, country and folk traditions.

1971 was a year of disaffection and ennui. The Beatles had broken up, the hippie dream was over, four kids were shot in Ohio by National Guardsmen and you had Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young singing a protest song that was powerful at the time but who wants to listen now? Prine’s eyeglass was focused on all of the same things but his was an ironic, detached P.O.V. that remains vital and relevant.

The record is of that time but it is somehow of this time too, though Prine’s delivery and from where in his throat he’s singing obviously owes something to Dylan.

All through the 1970s Cathy and I would attend annually at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with a packed audience gathered to appreciate John Prine.


John Prine on stage and singing with Iris DeMent (who we will write about another day)

Some artists are one hit wonders and one album wonders. Not Prine. He kept doing it and gathering up new fans right until the end, even when sickness made a physical mess of him.

John Prine died on April 20, 2020 of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), the pandemic coronavirus that became known as COVID-19.

#SundayMusic | Top 100 Albums | Gemma Hayes | 2002’s ‘Night on My Side’

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Gemma Hayes has more than the night on her side.

Born in the tiny village of Ballyporeen in Ireland’s Tipperary county, Hayes leaned on music and poetry from an early age to combat the inevitable feelings of small-town isolation. While she relocated to Dublin to attend the city’s University College following her stint at boarding school, she ultimately abandoned her studies to focus squarely on her true life’s calling to write and perform songs.

Hayes soon became a turn of the century staple in the raucous Dublin music scene, and her steadfast devotion to her craft was rewarded when Source Records signed her to a recording contract in 2001.


Gemma Hayes’ EP 4:35am, released in 2001. This is the title song.

A pair of extended play releases followed before the year was over, with the fragile acoustics of 4:35am and Work To A Calm setting the stage for the arrival of her début album in her native Ireland and the UK in May of 2002.

Recorded at the famed Tarbox Road Studios in Western New York State, Night On My Side was produced by acclaimed soundsmith, Mercury Rev co-founder and Tarbox proprietor Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Luna, Sleater-Kinney), with co-production duties handled by Dave Odlum who has helmed the boards for Hayes’ last three albums.

Harnessing inspiration from the likes of My Bloody Valentine and PJ Harvey, among other influences, Hayes’ inaugural LP unfurled as a dynamic dichotomy of sounds, all underpinned by her reassuring, hypnotic vocals and heart-laid-bare introspection devoid of pretense.

With the release of 2002’s Night on My Side, Fridmann blended 4:35am’s acoustica with, well, noise, as he set about to layer Hayes’ melodic sonic texture, filling the nooks and crannies of her songs with intriguing swirls.

While a handful of standout tracks are stormers awash in multi-layered, enveloping sonic dissonance, it is their juxtaposition with the sparser, acoustic compositions that produces a gorgeous mélange of melodies, tones and flourishes that can’t help but seduce the listener’s sensibilities with each subsequent listen.


Day One, the lead-off song on Gemma Hayes’ Night on My Side

Night on My Side opens with the dreamy intro Day One that quickly enchants you with its soothing melody, but before you know it you’re given a wake up call with the first single off the album, Hanging Around. Full of juicy guitar riffs and a great chorus its a cool n’ catchy pop song.


Over and Over, from Gemma Hayes’ 2002 début LP, Night on My Side.

And so, after the first two tracks, you’re given a clear idea of what to expect for the rest of the album. There are the softly spoken acoustic guitar songs that can transfix you with their beauty, as with the gorgeously well-wrought Over and Over, the harmonizing strings just make the song for me totally. Wait until you hear them, it feels like giving your brain a sonic bath. This song maked me think of comparisons to PJ Harvey; it’s more apparent in the way she sings some of the lines.


Ran for Miles. Gemma Hayes | Night on My Side. Far and away, my favourite song on the album.

Then there’s my favourite song on the album, which kept me alive in 2002.

Ran for Miles. I don’t know how Dave Fridman did it, but he managed to make something as simple as a bass drum beat totally blow me away. It hits me every time. The song is another of the more acoustic songs from the album and it is simply outstanding. I used to run from Jericho Beach through Locarno Beach towards Spanish Banks East, full speed until I collapsed onto the grass, a testament to the fact that I was still alive — if barely, as I struggled to catch my breath — that I still existed on this planet, that my too often fragile health — both physical and mental — remained as strong and vibrant as was necessary.


Tear on My Side. Another rocker on Gemma Hayes’ Night on My Side.

There are the indie rock songs like Tear in My Side that will force your head to nod, your legs to tap and your mouth to smile. Every part of this song makes me want to sigh in that life-is-great-the-sun-is-shining kind of way. The chorus. The second verse when the male harmony comes in. The middle eight.


What A Day | Gemma Hayes | Night on My Side.

There is, of course, the exception to the rule; What A Day is guitar free. In their place are electronic beats and synthesised vocals that echo around your head.


Let A Good Thing Go | Gemma Hayes | Night on My Side.

Let A Good Thing Go, the final track on the album, arguably rocks hardest on the album, with thrashing, discordant guitars and a fevered percussion soundtracking of Hayes’ examination of romantic stagnation and the harbouring of regret. The memorable guitar riff is sure to stick in your mind for hours after hearing the song, which is exactly what a great song should do, this song a counterpoint to the more delicate acoustic songs on the album.

The album’s more subdued songs may not keep your heart racing and ears buzzing to the extent that many of the albums louder tracks do, but what they lack in frenetic energy, they more than make up for by way of their emotional resonance.

Not to mention, Hayes’ crystalline vocals and confessional lyrics are elevated to the forefront, allowing her raw vulnerability to shine through, rather than being overpowered by a dense wall of sound.

First and foremost, the Irish singer-guitarist has a gorgeous, sultry and hypnotically intoxicating voice that bridges melancholy fragility and emotional intensity in a manner that evokes comparison to Joni Mitchell and Beth Orton.

Secondly, Gemma Hayes puts it to work in the service of songs that mix a sort of strummy introspective folktronica with crunchy alt-pop songcraft.

And last but certainly not least, on her dozen-track Night On My Side début — which was released in 2002 in a slightly different, and I would say better form  in the UK (I ordered the much preferable British CD at the time, the layout of the songs more organic and listenable) from the album release in North America.

Final thought.

There’s an innocence about Night on My Side that’s like slow dancing at twilight, which most decidedly sets Night On My Side apart from all the rest.

Sunday Music | Kacey Musgraves | 2018’s The Golden Hour Album | Top 100 of the Past 75 Years

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Kacey Musgraves, born on August 21, 1988, in Golden, Texas, is one of contemporary music’s most original and respected voices, known for her ability to craft lyrics that are witty, vulnerable, and unflinchingly honest.

Musgraves’ unique blend of traditional country roots, modern sensibilities, and genre-defying experimentation has positioned her as a standout in both the country and pop music scenes.

Musgraves’ breakthrough came with her major-label début album Same Trailer, Different Park in 2013. The album featured the single Merry Go ‘Round, a melancholy portrayal of small-town life, and the cheeky, rebellious anthem Follow Your Arrow, which encouraged people to live authentically regardless of societal norms.

Her lyrics, which tackled themes of non-conformity, marijuana use, and same-sex relationships, were bold for the country genre, known for its traditional values. However, her authenticity resonated with listeners, earning comparisons to past pioneers like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.

Musgraves’ rise to prominence in the early 2010s established her as a sharp lyricist and a trailblazer in country music, and her 2018 album Golden Hour cemented her status as a cross-genre force, earning her critical acclaim and commercial success.

While Musgraves had already earned significant acclaim with her earlier albums, it was Golden Hour that catapulted her to a new level of fame.

Released in March 2018, Golden Hour marked a departure from her previous work, blending country with elements of pop, disco, and electronic music. The result was a dreamy, genre-blurring collection of songs that felt both fresh and timeless. Musgraves has referred to the album as her “space country” project, reflecting its expansive sound and experimental approach.

Much of Golden Hour was influenced by Musgraves’ personal life, particularly her relationship with then-husband Ruston Kelly.

The album’s themes of love, heartache, and self-discovery resonated with listeners across genres. Songs like Slow Burn and Butterflies captured the warmth of new love, while tracks like Space Cowboy and Happy & Sad explored the bittersweet and often contradictory nature of human emotions.

Kacey Musgraves’ third album goes down so smoothly that it might not even scan as a total reinvention. Throughout Golden Hour, the East Texas singer-songwriter is radiant, awestruck, taking the scenic route to the bar just for the hell of it.

After Musgraves’ previous two albums, which felt like they were cut from the same home-sewn flannel cloth, in 2018 she ventured beyond the front-porch hum of country music. On Golden Hour, Musgraves employed strings, vocoders, disco beats. And if this sounds like a left turn for the lovable cynic who once characterized the world as an absurd beauty contest, a bad party, and a toxic boys’ club, well, that’s kinda the point.

Since 2015’s Pageant Material, the then 29-year-old singer-songwriter has changed her perspective.

On Golden Hour, everything sprawls and swells and gushes, a gaping sky that makes the sonic landscapes of her previous albums feel like mere set dressing. The result is Musgraves’ most accessible record and her most ambitious, a magnetic, comfortable culmination of her pop and country instincts.

The album’s production, handled by Musgraves alongside Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, was a critical element of its success.

The lush arrangements, ethereal synths, and subtle country flourishes created a sonic landscape that felt both intimate and expansive.

Golden Hour was a striking departure from mainstream country music, which at the time was dominated by bro-country and pop-country trends. Instead, Musgraves embraced a more eclectic and nuanced sound that allowed her to transcend genre boundaries.

This genre fluidity was key to Musgraves’ crossover success.

Kacey Musgraves stands out in the crowded landscape of modern music arising from her ability to remain true to herself while pushing boundaries. Her lyrics are clever, often laced with humour, but they never shy away from exploring the depths of human emotion.

In a world where many artists feel pressure to conform to commercial trends, Musgraves’ authenticity is refreshing. Her refusal to be boxed into any one genre has allowed her to build a diverse fan base, and her music continues to resonate with listeners across demographics.

As a result, she has become a symbol of creative freedom and artistic integrity in an industry that often prioritizes marketability over originality.

In Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves created a work of art that transcended the limitations of genre, and in doing so, she solidified her place as one of the most innovative and respected artists of her generation.

Now, here’s some good news: Kacey Musgraves will play Rogers Arena in Vancouver this upcoming Thursday, September 19th, with the concert getting underway at 7:30pm. Ticket prices range from $73.80 to $247.40.

Music | Top 100 Albums | Imogen Heap Creates A Career, and Endures

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Imogen Heap has the kind of fame that’s mostly invisible.

Throughout her three decades long career, the Grammy Award-winning British musician has merged intimate, sweet, stirring vocals fused with gently sweeping electronic soundscapes into lilting, alluring, pulsating and ethereal synthesized, yet organic pop that is uniformly and captivatingly gorgeous. Perhaps not the best known music artist, Imogen Heap maintains a loyal fan base that encompasses both her devoted listeners, and music critics across every continent on the planet.

Thus, Imogen Heap has managed to build herself a successful, if low key, career that has endured for the past quarter century and more, as she remains true to herself, a self-produced artist popular on the indie concert circuit across the globe.

Born Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap in London, she was raised in Essex, where she studied classical piano from a young age, writing songs in her early teens.

While attending boarding school in her mid-teens, Imogen Heap discovered alternative pop/rock, Euro-pop, and electronica, a musical mixture that effectively ended her desire to become a classical instrumentalist.

In the musical era of the 1990s when talented, attractive young female artists were breaking out into momentous world wide fame — think, Britney Spears, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Aaliyah and Alanis Morissette, to name just a few outstanding artists — record companies were on the lookout for upcoming new talent.

Thus, a young 17-year-old Imogen Heap was discovered, promoted and ferried across the globe to meet music critics in major cities across North America.

VanRamblings was invited to an intimate concert featuring Ms. Heap that took place on a late evening in 1993, in the basement of the Georgia Hotel, where a gangly young Ms. Heap played a handful of songs she’d written, after which the music critics on hand were afforded an opportunity to meet with her for an interview, accompanied by a local Warner Bros. A&R rep, in a room just off the concert stage.

Long story short, Imogen Heap’s début release was not a hit, the album fading into history, and, should you look online, not included in Ms. Heap’s discography.

Although Imogen Heap’s 1998 album iMegaphone received some acclaim — Ms. Heap’s music reflecting influences including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Björk —  the album did not sell well, as Ms. Heap lost her contract with Almo Sounds.

All was not lost, though, as Ms. Heap’s transcendently lovely vocals caught the attention of Guy Sigsworth, Madonna’s producer at the time — who produced one of the songs on iMegaphone —  who kept in touch with her after the album’s release.

In 2000, Guy Sigsworth suggested a collaboration.

In the early 2000s, Heap and Sigsworth began working together, sharing equal responsibilities in the collaborative project Frou Frou.

Despite the duo’s lighthearted name, Frou Frou utilized electronics to create an atmospheric, dreamy, and nuanced sound. MCA/Universal signed the group in 2001, and Heap temporarily put her solo career on hold.

Frou Frou released the album Details in 2002.

MCA/Universal arranged for a global concert series for Imogen Heap to support the album. Details sold like mad for Frou Frou across the European continent, becoming a massive hit for the duo, with the song Let Go topping the charts, while also being included on the award-winning Garden State soundtrack.

The success of Frou Frou allowed Imogen Heap to return to her first love: a self-produced, solo career. As Ms. Heap continued to tour across North and South America, and Europe, Frou Frou became a hit only on the European continent, most particularly in France, where Imogen Heap became a certified star.

Frou Frou and Details never took off anywhere else on the planet, save Europe, although the success of the album did serve to pay Heap’s bills, while allowing her to refocus on her career as a solo artist.

From 2003 through 2005, Imogen Heap taught herself the intricacies of the complex music production software Pro Tools (also used by Finneas O’Connell in the production of Billie Eilish’s début album).


Track 2, Goodnight and Go, from Imogen Heap’s 2005 smash hit album, Speak for Yourself.

By 2004, Frou Frou had disbanded, as Heap turned her attention to creating her first, fully self-produced album, which would become the massive hit, Speak for Yourself, which she produced over the period of a year and a half in her kitchen, responsible for every intimate detail of the album.


Track 5, Hide and Seek, from Imogen Heap’s 2005 smash hit album, Speak for Yourself.

The first smash hit off of Speak for Yourself, which sold wildly across the globe, gaining immense radio play, was Hide and Seek, the song rising to number one on the indie charts across Europe, and North and South America. Hide and Seek stops the show midway through; it’s expressly designed to make you come to a dead stop on your drive or walk like it did when it popped up in The O.C.

An a cappella blend of Heap’s hyper-layered pipes, it’s sonic trickery makes the song lap itself; there’s so much synthetic beauty in there that it comes off sounding organic anyway. Besides, it’s uniformly gorgeous; no beat required.


Imogen Heap’s voice, an ephemeral elastic thing that more often than not disappears into the music, as is very much the case with Just for Now, Track 9 on Ms. Heap’s 2005 album, Speak for Yourself.

Speak for Yourself ends with the rather melancholy The Moment I Said It, the song notable for its contrasting melodies that hint at greater possibilities in the future.


Track 12, The Moment I Said It, from Imogen Heap’s 2005 smash hit album, Speak for Yourself.