Harmony

It seems the grim reaper has been busy inspiring songwriters of late. George Harrison, Johnny Cash, Warren Zevon all turned in truly incredible releases, some with a sense of humour, all with a view towards the human frailty of our grasp on life.To that mix nearly came Gordon Lightfoot whose burst vessels in his hometown nearly laid him to rest. Thank God they did not. He remains the genuine article,, and these songs telegraph an ominous sense he must have had about his precarious health over the past few years. He has not looked well, but has worked hard on keeping himself fit and living a healthy life, and that effort alone is credited with keeping him here among us. Before his emergency battle, Gordon had a studio and live CDs spinning in the planning stages. He had recorded a bunch of songs just himself. They are, each of them, brilliant. There is also a few reels of tape from his legendary Massey Hall shows every year, and while recuperating, he and his trsudty sidemen set about completing the demos, albeit while he remained in hospital, and selecting 2 gems from the most recent concerts.The songs are wonderfully crafted and show what an amazing band he has. The arrangements all sound live, which is how he records them, and there is a presence about the songs that elevate them to sheer beauty and power. If you are a fan, you will be extraordinarily moved. This is spectacular. As to the live numbers, hopefully, there is a box set in the works, or another DVD or two. He is so absolutely ON for "Shellfish" and "No Hotel," that you will wish you had been there.Thank God Gordon is still with us. Few craft a song as exquisitely as he does. No one captures Canada as he does. Along with SIT DOWN YOUNG STRANGER, OLD DAN'S RECORDS, DON QUIXOTE, SUMMERSIDE OF LIFE, SHADOWS, SUNDAY CONCERT, SUNDOWN, this as truly brilliant a Lightfoot CD as you'll ever come across.

I bought "Harmony" with Mary Chapin Carpenter's new album "Between Here and Gone" and find that they have in common an ability to touch the soul of the regular person, as these artists sing about sadness, quiet reflection, and contentment. They are examples of these artists' finest new material in years, and I don't say that lightly as I have a high regard for both. My purpose in even mentioning Mary Chapin Carpenter is just to illustrate a quality that Gordon shares with her and it comes through in this album as in many of his previous ones. Here is a regular guy, a flawed human being, whose deeds and misdeeds are chronicled in the biography "If You Could Read His Mind" by Maynard Collins. The young man who wrote "I'm Not Sayin'", reflecting the recklessness of youth, now writes more reflective lyrics like "Dreaming of the love I lost, the day the final bridge was crossed / Sometimes I wish that I could just forget" in the new song entitled "Sometimes I Wish". Some people think his previous last two albums weren't very good, but I disagree, and I perceive a common theme in these three albums from the last eleven years; from the songs "Wild Strawberries" to "Much To My Surprise" and now the beautiful new song "Shellfish", I perceive a contentment, a desire to just be, and a confidence that it'll be okay. Gordon Lightfoot is certainly growing old, and I delight being able to grow older too, in a sense with him. I think we have such warmth toward this man because we feel that he is one of us: fallible, unpretentious, and growing old with dignity. I am grateful that his recent illness did not take his life, and maybe, just maybe, I will get the chance to see him in concert again, and listen to the songs that often express what I feel. Humanity is a complex and often lonely condition, and Gordon's music continues to both speak for us and speak to us.

As mentioned in other reviews of "Harmony", this album can make a serious claim to be Gordon Lightfoot's best in decades. Looking back through my collection, I might say that not since "Shadows" has there been a single album with such a sustained quality of songs. True, Lightfoot's voice is not what it once was, but I think he has come to terms with that and has found new roads to using it in the best way. I had a feeling with "Waiting for You" and to some extent "A Painter Passing Through" that he was to some degree forcing his voice a bit as compensation for its decrease in range and tone (a feeling, by the way, that I never had when seeing him in concert), and perhaps the balance between instrumentation and vocals had shifted too far towards the former. But in "Harmony" Lightfoot once again uses his voice as a fine instrument in itself. These thoughtful songs on this album stand as equalling in quality what he was writing two or three decades ago. I have already played the album several times over and cannot decide which cuts I like best -- there simply are too many good choices.Gordon Lightfoot's recordings, like his concert appearances, are characterized not only by his distinctive lyrical sense but also by the particular style of his long-time collaborators in his regular backup group: Rick Haynes, Terry Clement, Barry Keane, and Mike Heffernan. These are musicians who have toured and recorded with Lightfoot not only for years, but literally for decades. (I think such loyalty, in both directions, must say something about the man.) They are present again on most of the cuts on "Harmony" but, pleasing to this longtime fan, there is also another familiar name: Red Shea, guitarist on some of Lightfoot's earliest albums.Although this latest album represents something of a continuing evolution, it also reflects a pleasing continuity with what has come before. If you are a Gordon Lightfoot fan, you cannot miss this album.

Gord has done a nice recordLike this cd. Lizard

Good CD, seller was quick

most of the songs were well written.lovely words. a fantastic song writer.in the top 3 of all time in my opinion.

A surprisingly good performances from Gordon Lightfoot considering that he was recuperating from a very serious illness when he put the finishing touches on this cd. The title track is a winner along with "Shellfish". TROUBADORJohn Walsh

When I first played 'Harmony' I must confess I was a little bit undecided. However, after a few plays I really got into it. Some lovely melodic tracks on this album, which are very reminiscent of the old Lightfoot style of the 60 - 70's such as Flyin'blind, End of all time and River of light. Definitely I'm well hooked on this CD now! Nice one Gord!