Published on Nov 8, 1999
I approached ordering
Turn from Great Big Sea with trepidation, for lo, the Egbert
household had laid under a curse this fall, with major
disappointments from both Moxy Fruvous and Paula Cole adding gall
to our new music wine. I was afraid bad things came in threes, and
to get a
bad album from Great Big Sea, one of my favorite bands,
would have probably just been a
major bummer.
But the gods smiled upon me. So much so that the only question I
ask, addressed to all the A&R men out there who read our page
(all one of you, because I suspect the rest can’t
read) is this:
WHY, OH WHY, DOES GREAT BIG SEA NOT HAVE AN AMERICAN RECORDING
CONTRACT?
OK, I’m better.
Turn is the fourth Canadian release from Newfoundland
quartet Great Big Sea, and once again they prove that they may be
the best Celtic/folk/party/sea chanty synthesis band out there. For
that matter, they may be the ONLY C/f/p/sc s band out there, but
who’s counting? Great Big Sea is a hell of a lot of fun to listen
to, a quartet of audacious lads who think nothing about backing up
a traditional Celtic instrumental with a speed-folk cover of REM,
and
Turn continues to prove just how good they are. In fact,
Turn proves they’re
better than I thought they were, adding substance to the
quirky eclecticness.
The album kicks off with the tongue-in-cheek harmony pop of
“Consequence Free”. If it’s dancing you’re looking to do,
Turn offers the boasting “Jack Hinks”, the
Jimmy-Buffett-meets-St-John harmonies of “Margarita”, the
cheerfully drunken “I’m A Rover”, and the hopeful yet hilarious
lover of “Old Brown’s Daughter”. Then the thoughtful social
commentary comes out as well, shades of
Up‘s “Chemical Worker’s Song” — the soft yet celebratory
“Feel It Turn” and the haunting, driving “Demasduit Dream”. Capping
it all, there are the traditional melodies of “Trois Navires de
Ble” and “Captain Wedderburn”. There isn’t a bad track on
Turn, a rare compliment.
The heartfelt and emotional “Boston And St John’s” is worth the
price of the CD by itself, a deeply passionate ballad that took my
breath away the first time I heard it. For fans of the band, this
is in many ways the counter to “Fast As I Can” from
Rant And Roar, a musical plea for a lover to be
remembered.
Turn is simply one of the best CDs I’ve heard this year.
There is no American release date, and no plans I can find to set
one (remember, slap an American recording executive today), but the
Canadian import is available at CDNow, which is where I got mine.
Spend the money. Get it. You won’t be disappointed.