Gordon Lightfoot - Harmony (2004)

A true Canadian troubadour, Gordon Lightfoot has given the world some incredibly memorable songs. When you think of the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", Lightfoot's voice is immediately remembered. "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning rain", "Sundown" and "Baby Step Back" will never become less important to music history. Gordon Lightfoot has been hailed as one of the greatest songwriters by many fans and artists alike. Harmony is a new CD with new material, not a greatest hits package, I just wanted to set the stage for you before you get ready to experience Harmony!

This is one of the darker CDs released by Lightfoot, life and mortality fill the disk. Darkness is one thing, the CD does not however have a mood of gloom and complete depression. The songs are written in true Gordon Lightfoot style, the lyrics and the music merge to create an experience, not just a feeling. Even the darkest of tracks here still has a lyrical beauty that has come to be expected from Gordon Lightfoot. His vocals are splendidly weathered and completely fit in the context of the album. Not all singers could pull this feat off, but Gordon Lightfoot is more like a finely aged wine, a hauntingly intense project from the beginning.

Gordon Lightfoot has always had the gift of using his talent as a canvas to which he paints a mesmerizing landscape of life. It's not only the stories of life and it's trials, another of Gordon Lightfoot's talents is being able to express feelings and emotions through song as only he can. From the beginning it is evident the Orillia, Ontario native has created another masterpiece. The gentle stream-like flow of the album's tracks makes Harmony an effortless listen. In 2002, the world nearly lost Gordon Lightfoot to aneurysm. The tracks on Harmony were crafted in the most part before the near death event.

Since Gordon Lightfoot began his rise to musical artistry, and popularity around 1970, listeners have come to expect the best, and he can still deliver. Songs ranging from emptiness and loneliness to love and loss, and the acceptance of one's fate. It is near impossible to pick a single track, or even two here that jump out in front of the rest as "the Best". The gentle transition from track to track makes this CD more enjoyable as a total experience than individual servings. To me the fact the CD is wonderful was not a surprise, more of a relief that one of the greatest modern day folk artists can still create stirring imagery and intense emotion.

Track List:

01 - Harmony
02 - River Of Light
03 - Flyin' Blind
04 - No Mistake About It
05 - End Of All Time
06 - Shellfish
07 - The No Hotel
08 - Inspiration Lady
09 - Clouds Of Loneliness
10 - Couchiching
11 - Sometimes I Wish

Download includes front cover