DANIEL ROMANO at the Enwave Theatre, Friday, September 27. Rating: NNNN
Welland’s Daniel Romano makes music in the style of George Jones, has a voice like Willie Nelson (only deeper), and wears gaudy, rhinestone suits (Friday night’s colour combo: the red, brown and green of a New Mexico desert). Juxtaposed with the ultra-modern exposed brick and steel of the striking Enwave theatre, he proved that 60s and 70s purist country music can survive and thrive in present-day downtown Toronto.
Despite his influences, Romano is in a class all his own. As his most recent album title, Come Cry With Me, suggests, a lot of his tunes are sad ones, but as humorously depressing as they are – Two Pillow Sleeper, Middle Child – there’s something in Romano’s voice and delivery that prevent it all from going full-tilt sorrow. Maybe it’s those loud suits or his DANIEL ROMANO-encrusted fretboard, but even the gloomiest songs in the world – is there a dumpee on earth who can’t relate to A New Love (Can Be Found)? – reveal slivers of light in the singer’s hands.
He made sure to pepper the show with clever, brighter fare, too: Helen’s Restaurant, If You See Alice and Chicken Bill are very smart and very funny. That, and Romano can take the piss out of himself. “Here’s another song that sounds a lot like the one we just played,” he said mid-set.
Romano’s backing band, The Trilliums (acoustic guitar, bass, steel guitar and drums) are methodically tight. As songs jaunted along, they consistently, dramatically and effectively went from forte to piano and back, as if guided by a conductor’s wand. They stoicly jammed in the background, letting the man in the rhinestones shine, but showed off here and there, like on the mournful love-lost There Are Lines In My Face, whose instrumental break underscored their musicianship and highlighted Romano’s delicate arrangements.
A brief acoustic interlude was a welcome change of pace, and reminded us of the lovely sounds two guitars can make without percussive distraction (especially with acoustics like the sky-high-ceilinged venue provided). Runner, from Romano’s 2009 Daniel, Fred & Julie album with Fred Squire and Julie Doiron, was one of the show’s most memorable tunes, with haunting harmonies backed up by the return of the slide guitar.
There were a couple of surprise guests: The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie’s sudden appearance was dramatic, and his singing voice was an effective ragged counterpoint to Romano’s careful vocals on Time Forgot (To Change My Heart). Later, Sarah Harmer performed, and her restrained, technique-perfect voice quieted the foot-tapping audience to pindrop attention.
Romano closed the show like he opened it, with an epic medley. The song changes within were abrupt yet smooth, like those old commercials for compilation albums where the song titles scrolled up your TV screen. You can picture Romano on that list, maybe between Patsy Cline and Buck Owens.
“My name’s Daniel Romano,” he said to a standing ovation at set’s end, “and if this ain’t country, I’ll kiss your ass.”
