Andrew Cole asks Why We Wonder |
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| Written by Agnes Cadieux |
| Wednesday, 04 August 2010 07:40 |
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Canadian-born singer-songwriter Andrew Cole brings his English influences to the music stage with his debut album Why We Wonder. During his youth in Liverpool, England, Cole always dreamt of becoming a musician. He taught himself how to play guitar, and formed his own bands in high school. He later went on to win Stars In Their Eyes, a national UK musical competition, and then UK's North West Artist of the Year, both in 2002, but his voice was still only expressed through his renditions of other people's songs. After his father's death in 2004, Cole returned to Canada where he began working on his own material. His first song - Why We Wonder's closing track "We Must Win" - was written in the backyard of his Oakville, Ontario, home.
But despite the hype, praise, and the expected success that's touted on the press release, I am not convinced. The descriptions of the various songs contain such words like "haunting edge," a beginning with the feel of a "campfire love song that mutates into a torrent of raging guitars," and a "seamless blend of styles." But that is not how it sounded to me. Yes, there were a lot of big names involved in the making of this album, and yes, it has great expectations placed upon it -- but I didn't feel any of that. What I heard was a confusion of styles. In some places it leaned towards country, while in others towards rock, or folk. And in other places, it was as though the three were trying to battle themselves out, as if the producers didn't know which one they liked better, so they just put them all in. There is a claim that "[Cole's] voice soars high, pure and clear above the tracks laid down by his all-star band," and the album is "honest and fearless." Funny -- I felt his upper range sounded strained, and the lyrics forced and overdone. And in my defense, I always listen to the CD first before picking up the press release and bio so that, often, if I do not recognize the artist, I am heading into the album completely blind and unbiased. But it is not all bad. About three quarters through For more about Andrew Cole please visit: http://andrewcolemusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/andrewjcole Related:Another group from Liverpool had some influence on music in the 20th Century The Women of Lilith Fair rocked Toronto this year Robbie Williams 2009 Album, Bodies was also over-hyped
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Comments (1)
Why We Wonder keeps me listening, smiling, and most of all wondering.
I have to say Agnes that I'm having quite a chuckle reading your views of "Why we Wonder". Did you actually listen to the album, or did you fast forward through the tracks? “a voice that most singers would die for”– Award winning singer songwriter Tom Cochrane. If Andrew wasn't as talented as you say he is, I don't believe well-known producer Bill Bell and well-known Canadian players would have collaborated. Why We Wonder keeps me listening, smiling, and most of all wondering. Perhaps a live performance would enlighten you. http://www.andrewcolemusic.com/#/shows/4538071985 Christine (a.k.a Andrew Cole's biggest fan) |
It wasn't long before some of Canada's top musicians began to notice him. When Canadian rock icon Tom Cochrane and his wife Kathleen (who is now Cole's manager) heard a rough demo of his first efforts, they were convinced that Cole would have a voice that "other singers would die for." More celebrities followed after that: the album is produced by Bill Bell (Tom Cochrane, Jason Mraz), and features Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies), Colin Cripps (Blue Rodeo), Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), among many others.
the CD there is a raw honesty that comes through in his song "This Lullaby." Here I finally catch a glimpse of all the praise that Cole is getting. And then I heard it again on the following song, "Birds Of A Feather." So, yes, on the very rare occasion, his vocals are genuinely infused with passion. The only other song in which I was able to pick out this sort of honesty was on the hidden track. After approximately eight minutes of dead air (which I consider a little too long to wait in order to hear a bonus song...), the first chords of an acoustic guitar strum through the speakers. The lyrics are simple, but so deeply wrought in emotion and melody it made me stop and pay attention. If Cole can bring this sort of energy to the rest of his musical career, I would certainly listen to his album more than just once through.
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