MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: IAN SHERWOOD - BRING THE LIGHT

Smooth-voiced, smart writing singer-songwriter Ian Sherwood has made his name over the course of five albums with his intimate material and personal live performances, able to draw you in and speak/sing directly to the listener. On his latest, the Nova Scotia artist adds some new layers to the music, quite literally, working with producer Daniel Ledwell (David Myles, Gabrielle Papillon). While the pair didn't go crazy, there's more going on for sure, from additional instruments to a wider sonic palette,

If anything, the treatment heightens the intimacy in the songs, with a little more drama to move the stories along, and a little more oomph, especially in the percussion. But still at their core, these are songs that hit you like a sucker punch time and again. "You show me the door, and I fall on my knees/because I don't want to leave," he sings, in the aftermath of another fight, a jarring and real description of that horrible feeling. Sometimes the lines are simply really good, the kind where you have to sit back and smile; "Don't waste your wishes and nickles on broken-down wells," he advises on Know The Darkness. Even with such quality emotional material, there's room for pop moments, and Ledwell's addition certainly helps rock up the cut I'm Not The Boy into a purely catchy number.

Sherwood's playing a few shows around the album launch, just back from Folk Music Ontario. He's doing a couple of house concerts in the Fredericton area Friday Oct. 27 and Saturday Oct. 28, at the Lansdowne Concert Series, and you can see about seats there by contacting Paul at pmm56@me.com or 506-457-0826.