Miramichi native Rob Currie launches latest at Halifax Urban Folk Festival
Fri, Sep 4, 2015.
The Halifax Urban Folk Festival has been underway all this week, continuing on until Sunday with lots of terrific acts in town at various venues. While there are excellent acts from Canada and beyond playing, including Norman Blake of Scotland's Teenage Fanclub, Neil Osborne of Vancouver's 54-40 and Chuck Prophet from the U.S., there's also a strong commitment to local musicians. Of course, Halifax has no shortage of talent in the folk/roots world.
One of those performers is Rob Currie. He's originally from Chatham, NB, back when it was still Chatham and not Miramichi. He's using the HUFF platform to launch his brand-new album, Take Me Back. The former Cornerboy has sure taken his time on this one; it's been a full twelve years since his first solo album was released, but of course he's kept the performing side alive all that time, and the writing side too.
The disc features an interesting balance of songs that have a touch of the traditional in them, but feel very much modern as well. Currie's voice has a touch of the old, with his ability to let go on choruses and big lines with the strength of a shanty singer, but he has the mellow California sound in there as well. Opening cut This Old River is part 1870 and part 1970, thanks to this blend. He references Van Morrison on Eastern Girl, with a swirling, jazzy-Celtic mix in the master's style, but also does a full-on return to Maritime trad folk with guests McGinty on Your Old Shipmate. The best of both worlds, I say.
Currie's album launch for Take Me Back will be at The Company House in Halifax on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 9 PM, part of the Halifax Urban Folk Festival.
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About Bob Mersereau
Bob Mersereau has been covering music, and the East Coast Music Scene since 1985 for CBC. He's a veteran scene-maker at the ECMA's, knows where the best shows and right parties are happening, and more importantly, has survived to tell the tales. His weekly East Coast music column is heard on Shift on Radio 1 in New Brunswick each Wednesday at 4'45. He's also the author of two national best-selling books, The Top 100 Canadian Albums (2007) and The Top 100 Canadian Singles (2010).