Carleton Stone - Draws Blood

Sporting Influences such as Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, the Hold Steady, Gordie Sampson, and Hawksley Workman, Carleton Stone is a charismatic performer and soulful songwriter hailing from Cape Breton. “Cape Breton?” I hear you ask. Somewhere in the bleak and cold wilds of Nova Scotia. The sort of place where your fingers go numb if you leave them out of your mittens for more than three seconds. Fortunately Carleton's music is on a much warmer plane than his hometown. His self-titled debut album was produced by the Juno Award-winning Workman and the new album sparkles with smart, pop-country energy, clever hooks and an infectious exuberance. ‘Draws Blood’ finds the 28-year-old songwriter delivering his most personal artistic statement to date, and is co-produced by Howie Beck (Feist, Hannah Georgas, Hayden) and the acclaimed Broken Social Scene member, Jason Collett. It starts with “Blood is Thicker Than Water,” which slowly draws the listener in, and continues with the ‘Low’-era Bowie-inspired “Climbing Up the Walls”. ‘Signs of Life’ is a bigger poppier affair, but identifies the first trio of tracks as a mainstay for the rest of the album which, incidentally is dedicated to Stone’s mentor and close friend Jay Smith, a veteran musician in Nova Scotia who was a trusted confidante and Stone’s first-ever co-writing partner. Sadly he passed away a few weeks before Stone started to record the album. According to Stone himself the album is a heartfelt tribute to his long time friend and he summarised the album’s theme by saying, “’Draws Blood’ is about what we lose in life and the way we hold ourselves as we carry this pain forward, still trying to find the joy that makes every day worth living.” On closer listen, the loss, the healing, and the clear-eyed, dogged pursuit of a life well lived are present throughout ‘Draws Blood’. Other highlights on here are 'When You Come Home', the title track itself and the soul-searching of 'The Darkness'. One thing that does strike me though with the words of the man himself are where is the next going to come from? After all, he concedes, the older you get and the more you write, “the harder it gets for your own work to impress you.”

Track Listing:-

1 Blood Is Thicker Than Water
2 Climbing Up the Walls
3 Signs of Life
4 Love Into the Light
5 When You Come Home
6 What I Want
7 Draws Blood
8 The Darkness
9 Like a Knife
10 Pick Me Up, Dust Me Off