Andre Bisson – Latchford | Album Review

Andre Bisson – Latchford

Self-released

http://www.andrebisson.ca

11 Tracks – 44 minutes

This is the tenth album from Ontario, Canada native Andre Bisson. All of his albums have featured a varying number of band members from six to twenty. For this album, he is using an even dozen members with a guest performer on one song. Andre plays guitar, harmonica, tambourine and provides all lead vocals on the eleven all-originals songs. His band consists of Jesse O’Brien on piano and organ, Mike Rowell on bass, Keagan Early on drums, Pat Carey on tenor and baritone sax, Shawn Moody on trumpet, Loretta Hale on trumpet and cello, Rob Somerville on trombone, Paul Barna on violin and viola, and Quisha Wint and Selena Evangeline on backing vocals. Dan Rodrigues is the guest performing piano on the sixth track, “Smile Time”.

Andre grew up in a small town in northern Ontario. He first appeared on stage at age 15. His first album was released in 2009. He represented the Grand River Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and has won numerous nominations and awards in Canada. More recently, he won the 2022 Song of The Year Award from the International Song Contest for Blues and Roots and Radio for his song “Down the Line” which was on his ninth album.

As previously mentioned above, Andre grew up in a small town. As he traveled extensively, he started thinking about his roots and how his perspective on life was affected by his upbringing. The album’s title Latchford is the name of an actual small town in Ontario, which he says has a population of about 300. This is not his hometown, but rather was a random choice as he sought a town’s name that he felt fit the music. His liner notes state that “Perspective, along with observation and empathy can create the reality we choose to live in. We may not be able to control all the thigs in our lives, but we can control how we react to them.” Thus, the theme for the album is established.

He starts off with acapella vocals, which quickly leads into a brief horn blast followed by soulful vocals that establishes that his troubles might not be near as bad as others experience as he travels to “Latchford”. “The Reformed Deceiver” is a blast of 60’s styled Motown as he explores the things that hold us back in life and the possibilities that life can provide if we look forward. He sings “No, I’m a believer, a reformed deceiver. I’m through with walking away.” He breaks out his harmonica briefly in the middle of the song. “Echo Mountain” is a tale of a man who had lived in exile on top of a mountain for twenty years and observes how life and society has changed in the period of time, finding that the world has become a crueler and more hateful place. Jesse O’Brien’s organ offers the lead through the song.

“Shake” offers an upbeat jazzy dance beat exploring the need to protect our loved ones. Pat Carey’s sax plays off O’Brien’s piano as Andre states that he will “find the fire to sooth your soul”. “Dusty Albums” has a soulful country air expressing regrets with the cello carving the melancholic feel of the song. The lyrics carefully lay out the missed opportunities in his life with “…all that’s left behind are dusty albums and a stranger’s memory”. “Smile Time” is a high energy number with the horns driving the song as Andre tells you to “leave your worries behind”.

Andre gets a guitar lead backed by the horns in a rocking number as he sings that he has had “Enough”.  The music down in a gospel-tinged song as he establishes that the “Longest Way Around” “is sometimes the shortest way home”.  “Sticks and Stones” is an upbeat funk song led off by Carey’s baritone sax as Andre encourages us to rise above anger and find other solutions to violence.

“Tail That Wags the Dog” again features Andre’s guitar lead in a moody tale “as old as time, a story that has plagued all of history / and we all know how it ends” as “she is the one pulling the strings” which notes how he is manipulated by his woman. The album ends with another upbeat gospel-like number “The Bring Down”, which will get you up and perhaps ready to wave your arms and yell hallelujah as he sings “Thank you baby for bringing me down”.

Andre is certainly adept at writing strong, certainly carefully crafted, and sometimes complex song lyrics. He combines that with a solid notion of a big band sound led by a consistent horn section that fits the style of music he delivers. And finally, Andre’s tenor vocal delivery is always pleasing. I enjoyed the album but notice that not one time did I find a reason to mention “blues”. The album is certainly soulful, and some might consider it soul blues, but to me it is more of a pop album with some retro throwback to some earlier music styles. If this appeals to you, I think you will find it a pleasant listening experience. But if you are a hard-core blues lover, this is probably not an album you should seek.

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