ReviewAlbum reviews: new offerings from Ben Caplan, Harry Connick Jr, Rudimental and The Dears
Caplan sounds just like he looks (that’s a good thing); and Connick Jr makes a foray into the world of polished pop
Birds With Broken Wings
Coalition Music
Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, the mightily bearded Canadian folk/roots musician Ben Caplan has the rasping voice and piano thumping skills to match his impressive facial fuzz. Sounding like Tom Waits throwing back bourbon with Leonard Cohen and the devil himself, Caplan’s debut, In the Time of the Great Remembering, bore strong influences of European gypsy folk, and lusted wildly for booze, blues and bruised souls. For the follow up, Birds With Broken Wings, Caplan’s faithful backing band, The Casual Smokers, were joined by a diverse group of fellow musicians, bringing new sounds (darbouka, cimbalom) and colours to Caplan’s rousing and romantic tales. The stomping title track, a frenetic tune about taking (not necessarily good) ideas through to their fullest potential, sees Caplan growling about wanting that “hopeless dream depression” and “incurable cancers”, while on I Got Me a Woman he gleefully bleeds the blues. Now replete with lush orchestration, live favourite 40 Days & 40 Nights finally makes it on to tape with an angelic backing choral that perfectly captures the raw passion of Caplan’s raging bar room performances.