Walkin’ Each Other Home
Clela Errington
Independent (clelaerrington.bandcamp.com/album/walkin-each-other-home)
In today’s musical world of autotune, synthesized everything and the outright fakery of AI, having a new album of genuine artistry and stripped-down arrangements is a refreshing treat. Imagine someone simply sitting at a mic with an acoustic guitar and singing good songs. What a concept. But that’s exactly what veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist, Clela Errington has done.
Yes, she’s gotten a little help from some very musical friends, most notably blues/roots master Jimmy Bowskill, who does co-producer duty, and plays guitar, mandolin and bass. Other main musicians include Steve O’Connor on keyboards and accordion and Ian McKeown on drums and percussion. But it’s Errington’s soulful vocal interpretations that carry the album, which explores a few styles, but leans heavily toward slow and mid-tempo, bluesy numbers. It opens strongly with a traditional song, I Know You Rider, that kind of puts me in mind of early Stevie Winwood. Careless Love is another traditional song, but in more of a country vein, with a distinct lilt. Got to Make a Change Blues, is a fun sassy cover of a Memphis Minnie blues shuffle designed to get you up on your feet.
If you’ve not yet heard of Errington, despite this being her fifth album, you could be forgiven, since she spent much of her adult life in Prince Edward Island. But she’s been back in the Toronto area for a while now and can regularly be seen gracing stages here with her warm presence. She often performs with her daughter, singer Jocelyn Barth, who lends her voice to two tracks here, including the Errington original that closes out the album, Full Moon Dark Time, and the blend is exquisite.
Overall, Errington’s warm vocals and accessible style, along with the intimate recording technique, make Walkin’ Each Other Home feel like a good friend is sitting right over there singing these songs just for us.
