House Of Cards

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House Of Cards Details

Keelaghan’s songwriting has often been cited for its keen sense of history present and past. This coupled with a command of the language and delivered with an unmistakably rich baritone and it’s not surprising that James has come to be considered one of Canada’s all-time great singer songwriters – unmatched on today’s folk/roots circuit.

House Of Cards finds James at the top of his game with ten new songs including co-writes with Scotland’s Karine Polwart and Canada’s David Francey, Rose Cousins and Dave Gunning. Joining James in the studio were long time musical collaborators Hugh MacMillan – mandolins, lap steel and horn arrangements and David Woodhead on a variety of basses.

 

If any of you younger people out there ever wondered about the art of modern folk music, here is a great place to start. And, yes, it is an art. There is poetry and meaning in true folk music which separates modern folk from standard singer/songwriter fare and few have it down better than James Keelaghan. Blessed with textured voice, a cross between maybe that of Gordon Lightfoot and Roger Whittaker, he captures the folk era of the late sixties-through-seventies with straightforward and simple charm. And I know what you’re thinking. It probably sounds dated. Allow me to alleviate that fear because good folk music, like all good music, transcends that very thought, and this is not only good but very, very good.

~ A review written for the Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
by Frank Gutch Jr.