The last we heard from this north shore of Nova Scotia singer-songwriter, he'd recruited his two kids into a band called Fresia for a 2012 album. That was just the latest twist in a three decade-long music career, and now he's found another. After spending half of 2015 traveling the globe, from London to Morocco, and time spent living in France and Spain, he returned with inspirations and a stripped-down technique. This album's as simple as can be: One voice, one guitar, one microphone.
There's nothing new in that trick, but when it works, it's very effective; think Springsteen's Nebraska album. Or, that acoustic guitar player at an open mic night who manages to hush the crowd. Fresia has that lonesome blues sound, in a small basement coffee house or bar, and all that's missing is the scattered applause at the end, and the tinkle of ice in the glasses. He's picked up some of the music styles from his travels for sure; African Skies is set under the strange stars he encountered, and includes some lovely work on the high notes of his guitar. Beaujolais Nouveau comes to us in French of course, with Euro jazz.flair. It's an impressive multi-cultural tour, even more so considering the whole one player, one mic approach. To order a ridiculously cheap copy, head to ericfresia.com.
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