The Kiss Before the Calm
Charlie Sohmer
Glowing Hearts
2000
12 tracks
You don't hear country music like this any more. Charlie Sohmer's The Kiss Before the Calm is redolent of Bob Regan and Lucille Starr, Doug Kershaw, and Orval Prophet. This is old time country with a definite Quebec/Cajun edge.
I'm not sure Sohmer even knows that he's doing country music, let alone that he's doing it so well. His publicity includes references to his music as "singer-songwriter" and "folk and roots music with a country twang" and "New Orleans rhythms, jazz consciousness, a taste of the blues and a beatnik cool" sound. When I received this release, I rather expected to hear music somewhere in the jazz/blues genre.
"Murder in the Air" quickly cured me of that notion. A cowboy song with just a bit of a Cajun flavour, "Murder in the Air" has a lyric fraught with impending doom and the sort of edge one might expect if "High Noon" had been written by Neil Young.
I once heard a social scientist refer to country music as the Anne Landers of the Air. If this analogy could be extended to include Jerry Springer, "Roll it Off the Highway" surely fits the bill. This depressing lyric tells the story of a woman's abuse through "'leven years of loveless marriage" to a man who has the temerity to tell her, "I'll kill the children as they sleep; you can keep them when they're dead." Her only way out is to kill him. (Okay, I gave away the ending, but this well-written song is still worth a couple of listens.)
A sweet country waltz, "Marielle" begins like a love song but quickly becomes a story of unrequited love and potential suicide. There is no happy ending here. Those who love tear-jerkers will love this song.
Those who enjoy a good old fashioned Cajun sound will want to hear "Don't Lie" with its spirited, danceable rhythm. Taking a bit different direction, "Comfort Me" is a bright country waltz that leans strongly toward western swing.
"Heaven Calling" is a special favourite of mine, but I must say that there's not a bad song on this release. I'll be very surprised if at least some of these tracks don't get substantial airplay.
It doesn't at all hurt Sohmer's sound that this recording includes some of Canada's finest musicians, including such folks as Willie P. Bennett and Terry Tufts. Sohmer does well to live up to the high quality of musicianship represented by the twelve players he bills as the "Jazzed-Up Hoodlums" in the liner notes.
The Kiss Before the Calm ends on a slightly different note. While "Fool for You" retains the county feel that pervades the rest of this CD, it introduces a sort of Paul Simon African rhythmic element that sets it apart. Perhaps, since it's the last track on this release, "Fool for You" is predictive of Sohmer's next.
My suggestion? Don't wait for Charlie Sohmer's next release. Get The Kiss Before the Calm today.
Those wanting more information about Charlie Sohmer and his music will find it in The world of Charlie Sohmer.
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