Break of Day, Songs For Colin
Sandy Bell
sandybellcreative.com/music
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I will close with a shout-out to an old friend, Sandy Bell, who was my counterpart as manager of Arraymusic for most of the 20 years I spent in the same capacity at New Music Concerts. Sandy has now retired from the heady world of arts administration to live the good life in rural Nova Scotia and concentrate on the things that matter. She has always been a singer, trained in choirs in her youth, but found her personal voice in the world of country music. While in Toronto she co-founded a band called The Wanted which played in such hallowed halls as the Gladstone Hotel and Cameron House. It seems her life’s dream was to produce a solo album and now she has done it. Break of Day – Songs for Colin (sandybellcreative.com/music) is a beautiful collection of original songs commemorating the life of her son who died tragically at the age of 20. There are some laments, including a chilling rendition of I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, the only cover version on the album, but the overall feeling is of hope and celebration. Sandy’s soprano voice with its country twang is complemented by a backing band of traditional fiddle, pedal and lap steel, acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, bass and drums, with harmony vocals by Kristin Cavoukian, Max Heineman and Sofia Harwell, all produced by Andrew Collins who also contributes mandocello lines. Although this may not be the album Bell began dreaming of before the death of Colin, it’s nevertheless a lovely fulfillment of that dream.
