André Bisson

Latchford

Self-released

It’s somewhat rare to hear an artist for the first time on his tenth album release and in the case of Canadian soul/R&B/roots singer-songwriter André Bisson, it raises the obvious notion of ‘look at what I’ve been missing.” Bisson has been on the scene for twenty years, boasts numerous awards and consistently sells out shows here, in Canada, in the UK, and in Europe. He often performs with ensembles that range from six to twenty pieces so the twelve that line these credits is normal. Bisson is the lead vocalist and plays guitars, harmonica, and percussion. He leads this ensemble of Jesse O’Brien (piano/organ), Mike Rowell (bass), Keagan Early (drums), Pat Carey (tenor and bari sax), Shawn Moody (trumpet/flugelhorn), Loretta Hale (trumpet/cello), Rob Somerville (trombone), Paul Barna (violin/viola), Quisha Wint (vocals), Selena Evangeline (vocals) and Dan Rodrigues (piano on “Smile Time”) for his latest, entitled Latchford.

He kicks off with the southern gospel infused title track, about someone searching for perspective, ostensibly the album theme.  In this case, the protagonist learns that he’s not nearly as bad off as some of the people in encounters on his mythical journey to Latchford (wherever that is). Carey’s robust tenor solo in the break is one of our first indications of how deeply soulful this effort is. Adhering to the theme is the Motown flavored “Reformed Deceiver,” imbued with horns, strings, and the backing vocalists with its hook-filled chorus – “No I’m a believer, a reformed deceiver/I’m through with walking away/I don’t know where tomorrow lies/And today’s left in disguise/So thank you for yesterday.” It borders a bit on being too poppy but there’s no denying its power. Punchy horns and swirling organ introduce “Echo Mountain,” the tale of a man in exile for twenty years who returns to society and observes that it’s become a crueler and prone to hate place. “Shake” furthers this quest for empathy in a retro ‘60s Stylistics-like sound. On the other hand, “Dusty Records,” the third of the singles with the aforementioned and the title track, has a a melancholic singer-songwriter country feel expressing regret, accented by heavy tones of the cello on lyrics about missed opportunities and regrets – “…They’ve caught moments lost in time but for me all that’s left behind are/Dusty albums and a stranger’s memory.”

The retro ‘60s sound returns again, this time by TV shows, in the upbeat, horn blasted, cheesy “Smile Time.”  Yet, just when Bisson seems to veer toward the poppy, he presents his gritty die in “Enough.” He certainly has a gift for crafting potent horn charts. Standout ballad “Longest Way Around” owes to gospel and features one of his strongest vocals. The slimmed down accompaniment works well on this one, augmented by the horns swelling and fading around the verses. Pat Carey of Downchild delivers the gutsy intro to the funky “Sticks and Stones,” urging us to rise above anger and not succumb to initial violent impulses. “Tail Wags the Dog” finds its soulful, rootsy groove for one that’s just slightly off the theme of the others as he’s seemingly bewitched and maybe even manipulated by his partner. He puts all of that aside for the rousing, gospel-infused closer, “The Bring Down.”

When Bisson mentions that the theme of the album can be summed up in one word, perspective, he’s not overstating. Somehow, he finds ways to express this notion across at least ten of these tunes, mixing rhythms, hooks, and instrumentation adeptly in the process. Essentially, it’s a big sounding soul record that to a fault straddles retro in places, but ultimately wins due to Bisson’s instrumental arrangements and his salient lyrics.

• Jim Hynes

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