Walking Tracks
Eric Westbury
Barreltown Records
2000
12 tracks
Quirky doesn't quite cover it. Unusual? Maybe. Certainly eccentric comes into the mix at some point. It's hard to tie down exactly what it is that Eric Westbury does. Whatever it is, I like it. And I'm not quite sure why I like it, except perhaps that it's different from the usual folk-singer songwriter material I receive.
The lyrics of Eric Westbury read like poetry. Lots of song lyrics have a poetic feel, and lots of decently written verses end up being set to music. Westbury's words aren't like that. Most of them read like they were written by someone with an arts degree in English literature who aspires to be a poet. They read like poetry that's meant to be read aloud at some student coffee house. Read aloud, they work well. And they don't sound at all like they were ever meant to be set to music.
Transcending their apparent literary aspirations, classical allusions, and academic gewgaws, Westbury's lyrics actually fit very well over his music. The interesting thing is that in their musical setting Westbury's stories change and, although the words remain the same, become something quite different than they would be if read aloud. For a writer to achieve that is no mean accomplishment.
Although four other musicians are credited in the notes, this is primarily a guy-and-a-guitar release, featuring chiefly Westbury singing and playing guitar, with the other instruments relegated to a supporting role. Did I mention that this release is more than a little eccentric? The notes also point out that Westbury plays guitar left-handed, upside-down, and with only five strings. Even so, he manages to get a good, full sound out of his instrument.
Westbury's singing is something else. He sings well, in the sense that he stays on tune and seems to hit all the right notes. On the other hand, he has what some might consider an awful voice. Westbury has voice that in its prime may have sounded like a Ned Miller or Jud Strunk, comfortable and smooth. However, Westbury's voice sounds battered and old. It's not the raw, rock battered sound of a Bryan Adams or Rod Stewart. Rather, it has that hurting rasp that comes from too many years of too much hard liquor and too many cheap cigarettes. Through that battered sound comes something warm and sympathetic that redeems the voice brings a certain authenticity to these songs.
Westbury tells simple stories with a certain universal appeal. It's not necessary to recognize or understand his frequent literary and classical allusions in order to get the stories. In fact, while these artistic pretensions may add some depth to the stories for some few people, I wonder if they are really necessary. It's entirely possible that this writer could write some very moving lyrics without ever drawing on this more academic material.
With growth and experience, Eric Westbury could become a storyteller in song on a par with artists like America's Tom T. Hall or Canada's Stompin' Tom Connors, bringing well-told stories of real people to listeners across his nation. Time will tell.
British Columbia's Eric Westbury writes literate and interesting lyrics and performs his songs with raw-voiced pathos that will appeal to many listeners. In his writing and in his performance, Westbury is just quirky enough to be interesting without crossing the line to weird. His work is an intriguing deviation from the mainstream of Canadian folk music.
Those who may be interested can learn more about Eric Westbury and his music at Westbury Road.
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Review written: March 18, 2005
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