Every so often I get a CD I want to tell people about. Dave Carmichael’s Spirit Dance is one of those!
I met Dave when he lived in Ottawa for about a year, a couple of years back. I had a chance to see him perform as a sideman – a role he plays well; tasteful fills and leads, defers to the “main act” , and is unassuming & humble – but not a wallflower.
What a treat when he was back in Ottawa to perform at the National Library and he offered me a copy of Spirit Dance, asking for my comments.
This CD is a well balanced collection of songs, that definitely makes you want to listen more than once – in fact I’ve been humming the songs, often the sign of a “keeper”. Dave proves to be a wonderful songwriter and a beautiful singer, tackling with equal ease the soft tender ballads, up-tempo folk-pop, bluegrass, and bluesy swing tunes.
The CD starts with Smile, which right away shows off Dave’s voice and strong songwriting -- lyrics and melodies. He moves into Same Train, which uses percussion to get you moving and then treats you again to the softer country feel with Forever. Beautifully Simple has a swing to it, with a country feel, and paints images which draw you into the story.
The collection is lyrically pleasing, with lines like “the beautifully simple, simply feels better”, to tongue in cheek fun like “if you can’t live without me, why ain’t you dead yet” (from Why Me).
Dave does a version of Bury Me Beneath the Willow which will stand up against any bluegrass version I’ve heard (and I played the bluegrass circuit for 10 years in my earlier life). Really good harmonies throughout the album are by Melissa Trottier, with a few other voices added in a couple of the songs, for a tight and full sound.
The last song on the CD features the piano playing of Kim Dunn. Very nice.
I love this CD – Spirit Dance deserves to be heard! Any DJ’s out there who don’t have a copy, I suggest you contact Dave through his website www.davecarmichael.com, and get a copy for airplay. Dave occasionally tours, (home is in Halifax) – he would make a great addition to any concert series, from the house concert, to a larger venue.
Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone!
I will be celebrating Christmas, beginning with a live broadcast on Weekend Warm-Up with guests Chris White and Heather Horak – the 3 of us will be trading songs for the hour. Join us at www.ckcufm.com.
Pat
Pat Moore Music
www.patmoore@patmoore.net
host Weekend
Warm-Up
CKCU FM 93.1 Fridays at 4:00
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