Monday, August 2, 2010

J.R. Shore: Talkin' On A Bus

The first track on J.R. Shore’s Talkin' on a Bus explodes into what can only be described as an Americana cabaret. This album offers a custom recipe of traditional folk instruments - guitars, banjos and harmonicas - with a few special ingredients – a perfectly placed organ and just a dash of tuba. The lyrics, which range from humorous anecdotes to heartfelt stories of everyday survivors, are the perfect topping; especially performed with Shore’s cracker-barrel vocals, best described as a Lyle Lovett meets a pre-1980s Tom Waits.

Talkin’ on a Bus is definitely a staple for lovers of Western Canadian music. It offers a harmonious blend of folk and country, but you can even sense the influence of old time gospel on Jesus Rodriguez. While Shore and his band prove to be inimitable artists, you can still hear classic influences shine through, giving you the feeling that you’ve been listening to this album for years. If you’re a fan of songs like Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell or Tom Petty’s Here Comes My Girl, you will find a new favourite here.

Recently released July 20th, this is the second album from the Calgary, Alberta based singer/songwriter J.R. Shore, offering twelve original songs plus a golden tribute to Blaze Foley’s Christian Woman Talkin’ on a Bus. To enjoy songs from Shore’s Talkin’ on a Bus, and from his debut An Impeccable Shine, check out the links below:

http://www.jrshore.com/music.html
http://www.myspace.com/jrshore

1 comment:

  1. Perfectly described. It's a salad of sounds and influences. Words like 'dash', 'topping' and even 'cracker-barrel' hit it dead on!

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