Short Stories
Don Macdonald; David Restivo; Mike Rud; Jill McKenna; Joel Fountain
Independent (donmacdonald.bandcamp.com/album/short-stories)
In-your-face instrumentation from the first few chords, sweet velvety delivery from MacDonald with great rhythmic finesse, lyrics that are direct and concise. There is a prevailing immediacy to proceedings here, making it no trouble at all to feel immediately anchored to the presentness of the here and now.
The mere recording quality of a session is not something often worth remarking on, but there is staggering definition given to the absolute tippy-top of each and every piano voicing, each pizzicato pluck, every brushstroke, the tail end of each fricative consonant. The listener is never left with anything but a fulsome image of the combo, never yearning for the further prominence of any single element. Due to the album title, one might notice the various forms of storytelling at play here. MacDonald’s syllabic placement, time feel and seamless use of emphasis grants these words a unique emotional quality. Then there are the words themselves, intimate and making spellbinding use of perspective. Lastly, brevity itself is as effective a narrative tool as anything else here, almost acting as its own character.
Seven originals, three re-interpretations – and the less versed when it comes to the Great American Songbook would hardly hear the difference – these songs just have that classic quality about them. Oh, and that Bob Dylan rendition? Exquisite.
