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The relative sparse landscapes of Manitoba and Texas are
fertile breeding grounds for many visionary singer-songwriters who turn to their
deep creative mind to unearth the fruits of their labour. Therefore it is not
surprising that Canadian multi instrumentalist, singer-song writer Brandy Zdan
honed her craft in Winnipeg before reaping the network support of that hotbed
of fine music, Austin to enhance and develop her career. The latest stopping
off point for this versatile artist is a debut six-track solo mini album LONE
HUNTER which is being released to coincide with another new venture, the ABC of
Canadian Music.
With a voice to rival any of the current outstanding folk
output from the city labelled ‘live music capital of the world’ the self penned
tracks captivate, haunt and tease your senses aligned with a sound perfectly in
sync with the mood of the songs. Percussion, steel, gentle electric and soft
acoustic are expertly arranged by experienced producer George Reiff (Ray Wylie
Hubbard, Band of Heathens, Lincoln Durham) to contribute to a brief but
satisfying 22 minutes of listening pleasure.
Album opener ‘Mourning
Dove’ hooks you in with a mesmeric intro and tantalises with a potential
explosion that doesn’t materialise. The melting and tender tones of ‘O Where’ decorated with sublime steel
make no effort to take you anywhere but on a dreamy path of bliss. Once in a
state of tranquillity ‘Does Everything
Break’ will continue to soothe the senses as the vocals enter a phase of
maturity to suggest a change in tone is imminent.
‘Blood as the Ink’
provides an injection of pace to remove any aspect of complacency as
amplification leads the album into a more intense and determined direction. Title
track ‘Lone Hunter’ resumes the
relative sobriety with a realistic thought of ‘we all die alone, we all turn to
smoke’. The fond recollections of ‘I
Remember When You Used To Love Me’ leave a strong imprint on your mind as the
album fades into the distance, with a feeling that there has been something
special in this short experience.
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With a career spanning Juno nominations in Canada as part of
Twilight Hotel and supplying the six string, lap steel and accordion input for
Austin based female super-group The Trishas, the next phase of Brandy’s live
work will engage UK audiences. By teaming up with fellow Canadian and
established UK tour artists Awna Texeira (Po Girl) and Cara Luft (solo, Wailin
Jennys), Brandy Zdan forms an integral part of the ABC of Canadian Music
project which hits our shores in October. The material from LONE HUNTER will
certainly enhance the show and is worth every penny of the modest outlay when
available on September 9th. 