AMELIA CURRAN plays the Rivoli tonight (Thursday, November 8). See listing. Rating: NNNN
Halifax-based songwriter Amelia Curran won a Juno in 2010 for her last album, Hunter, Hunter. Though there’s nothing on her sixth as instantly hummable as Bye Bye Montreal or as shocking as The Mistress, both from that album, Spectators is a beautifully coherent listen.
This is partly due to tastefully moody horn arrangements by Bryden Baird and strings by Todor Kobakov, as well as backup vocals and accompaniment by Toronto- and Newfoundland-based musicians Selina Martin, Oh Susanna, Martin Tielli and the Once.
Curran’s vocal delivery is confident and confessional, strong even when hushed. Her meditations on the passage of time, lingering regrets and fissions between people manage to arrive at hopeful places rather than lingering in self-pity. This is quietly forceful stuff.
Top track: San Andreas Fault
