MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LENNIE GALLANT - TIME TRAVEL

Lennie Gallant's been holding out on us. Oh sure, he's had his hit musical Searching For Abegweit going the last five years, and he's put out two live albums, winning the ECMA Entertainer of the Year award for 2017. But it's been nine long years since he released his last studio album. Worth the wait? You bet.

The veteran is acting positively youthful, teaming up with Halifax producer Daniel Ledwell for this set. Ledwell, known for his rich, radio-friendly layers for recent hitmakers Rachel Beck and Gabriel Papillon, didn't turn on the atmospherics for this set though, instead keeping Gallant natural and comfortable. Instead, the acoustic tunes are accompanied by strings (The Fretless, Atlantic String Machine) and guest singers (Jenn Grant, Mary Jane Lamond, Rose Cousins). That's the right kind of accenting for these songs, as Gallant has come with his some of his finest, polished lyrics, a start-to-finish set of reflective and thoughtful insights.

The title cut is a clever mix of the complexities of the universe, mortality and love, making Einstein's big picture pretty simple in the end. Selkie is one of always-fine songs about spirits and ghosts, in this case an old Scottish sprite sort able to change from seal to human, and Gallant turns the tale into a haunting love story. There's A Storm Comin' is going to be played every time a Nor'Easter blows into the Maritimes for years to come with its snowdrifts and howling gale, all the time a metaphor for a relationship in crisis.

The final cut will also be remembered a long time, a beautiful and powerful tribute to the late, great Ron Hynes. The Newfoundland songwriter was known for his own tributes, penning memorable ones for Gene MacLellan and Rita MacNeil, and Gallant does those songs, and the man himself justice with Saying Goodbye To Ron. He name-drops Hynes' best-loved songs, taking us all to St. John's to share one more memory.

Full of emotion and gentle power, this is Lennie Gallant at his very best. The album comes out Friday, Aug. 31, and that night he'll launch the album at the Indian River Festival home on P.E.I.