Dave Carmichael Launches Third CD  DECEMBER 13, 2005

By  Ron Foley Macdonald   www.Aliant.net

Dave Carmichael is one of the East Coast's most accessible and immediate singer/songwriters. Since graduating from Acadia University's renowned theatre program almost a decade ago, the talented musician and recording artist has tread the boards in a number of dramatic productions, most recently serving as the onstage musical director of Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre's stellar staging of the songbook revue Joni Mitchell: River.

This week--in a crowded seasonal schedule competing with a thousand holiday events--Carmichael has slyly decided to launch his third CD, Spirit Dance. It's exactly the kind of album that will make a very fine Christmas present for any and all followers of the Atlantic Music Scene, so punters might just want to take some time out of their busy pre-holiday rush to relax and take in some quality East Coast music at his launch event.

The actual launch party takes place at Stage Nine in Halifax--1567 Grafton Street, to be precise--from 7:30 to 9:30 on Thursday, December 15th. Sponsored by The Garrison Brewing Company and CKDU Radio, the party will feature Carmichael premiering much of his new disc, joined by a bevy of special guests and friends.

Which, in fact, brings us to Spirit Dance, the Acadia grad's third and most recent long-player. Recorded at Common Grounds Studio in Halifax--formerly known as Solar Studios, the sound facility at Musicstop at Cunard and Hunter Streets in the Nova Scotian capital's mid-town region--Spirit Dance reveals Dave Carmichael settling for a direct, early '70s singer songwriter style that recalls the signature albums by legendary artists such as James Taylor, Harry Chapin and Jackson Browne.

Abandoning the eclectic experimentation of his first two efforts, Perspective and Emergence, the quicksilver musician has stripped his songs down to their essentials on this confident new album. Assisted by guitarist and co-producer Jamie Robinson--who recently helped propel Pictou minstrel Dave Gunning to the very verge of mass-market acceptance with his latest album Two Bit World--Dave Carmichael has left the crunchy guitars of Emergence and the cajun/reggae flavourings of Perspective behind to concentrate on clean, pure and unaffected sound. Only a few gentle touches of bluegrass influence the textural mix on the new disc; Spirit Dance is for the part, austere, stark and yet surprisingly accomplished.

The result shows off the willowy singer-songwriter in his best light yet. Carmichael's own songs are emotionally honest, structurally simple and delightfully affecting; delivered--as they are throughout Spirit Dance--in a manner that lets the songs speak for themselves, the material is immediate and memorable.

With titles that neatly sum up the singer's direct and unencumbered approach--Smile, Forever, Beautifully Simple are just a few of the notable tunes--Carmichael has found an effective way to translate his musical and poetic gifts into clear and resonant recordings.

Home Boys, for example, is a modestly rollicking selection that suggests a camp-fire sing along without all the itinerant bluster. Why Me?, a solo piece just featuring Carmichael's vocals accompanied only by his deft guitar playing, is a poignant and involving song that sees the singer/songwriter looking at questions about love and life and everything in between.

Carmichael's supple singing style gets a firmer workout on one of the albums' two cover songs, Leon Russell's classic ballad A Song For You. A standard that has served as a showcase for vocal giants such as Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, this is a song that boasts a scaffolded melody that soars to the heavens and will test the ability of any singer who dares to tackle its extraordinary summit.

And while Dave Carmichael can't quite compare with Aretha or Ray, he carries Russell's stellar melody with coy style and great panache. Accompanied only by a restrained keyboard arrangement, the Acadia grad easily makes the melodic leaps using a mix of falsetto and his own sense of dramatic mastery.

It's a nice, unexpected surprise that might just point Carmichael in yet another direction, that of the musical theatre. Until he takes that turn, however, Spirit Dance will serve as pinnacle of his recording efforts.

It's a strong, career-making album that reveals a mature, confident artist just breaking into his prime.

Suffused with warmth and intelligence, Spirit Dance is an album that might just bring Dave Carmichael that wider audience he so richly deserves.

© Ron Foley Macdonald 2005