Rating: NNNN
Melwood Cutlery may sound like some chi-chi Yorkville store, but I can assure you he’s actually a living, breathing human, and that his latest release, Campfire, may just be the best folk album you’ve never heard. Blessed with a voice so like fellow Canuck Gordon Lightfoot’s that you’d swear they were related, and with phrasing and delivery not unlike Dylan’s, he’s the kind of artist you’re sure you’ve heard of before you tear the wrapper off the jewel case. From the propulsive beat of Too Stoned and the jazzy Moonlight Motel to the mellow candour of Jimmy’s Room and Walkerton, Campfire is a near perfect set. Jenny Whiteley and David Francey add some backing vocals, harmonizing wonderfully with Cutlery, but his voice and song arrangements are so powerful you hardly notice. He’s that good.
Cutlery plays Hugh’s Room Wednesday (May 18).
