Nov 21, 2007

NET RHYTHMS Nov. 07
Dave Gunning - House For Sale (Wee House Of Music Co.)

Dave hails from Nova Scotia, and over the past few years, specially since winning two Folk Recording Awards in Canada in 2005, he's become one of Canada's best-acknowledged up-and-coming singer-songwriters. His fourth album, Two-Bit World, I thought particularly satisfying, and its followup, House For Sale, continues to impress with its honesty and his gently enthralling no-nonsense tales of local legends and historical events as well as his directly-expressed relationship songs. In the former category especially he called to mind the writing of David Francey, for his is a comparable melodic lyricism. Again, it's the songs with the simplest settings that get the chance to captivate the most: April Girl, House For Sale and Taking Turns, whilst the country influences on songs like These Roads, Dust To Dust and Cowboy's Dream are well integrated into Dave's charismatic storytelling. All the songs bar two come from Dave's own pen – or at least as co-writes with the likes of Jamie Robinson, J.P. Cormier, Ron Hynes and Steven Bowers - the exceptions being Colleen Malone and Robbie Robertson's Twilight. It's a cohesive set, not strides ahead of Two-Bit World maybe, but keeping up the standard set by it. In support of this new album Dave's touring the UK during November with two New Brunswick acts, Jessica Rhaye and Matt Andersen, whose own albums will no doubt feature on this site in due course.