Gabrielle Papillon - The Tempest of Old

by Dave Goodwin

published: 19 / 6 / 2015

Label: Gabrielle Papillon
Format: CD

Orchestral and versatile fourth album from Nova Scotia-based singer-songwriter Gabrielle Papillon

Review

I have been trying to summon up the artists who Gabrielle Papillon remind me of but do you know what? I can’t. Just as it gets to the tip of my tongue it is gone again because she doesn't actually sound like them at all That is what is great about this album. There are a million things that it almost sounds like but it has a sound of its own. There are a lot of similar- sounding female artists around at the moment, and, while none of them are bad singers, Gabrielle Papillon has her own sound which elevates her above them all. ‘The Tempest of Old ‘features a host of musicians who are no strangers to the Canadian music scene, including Jenn Grant, Sean MacGillivray (Classified, Jenn Grant), Michael Belyea (Jenn Grant, Snailhouse, Paper Beat Scissors), Catriona Sturton (Plumtree, Al Tuck) and Kinley Dowling (Hey Rosetta!, Jenn Grant . It was recorded at Echo Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia with multiple award-winning producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, In-Flight Safety). As you might expect with such a versatile team of musicians involved, ‘The Tempest of Old’ is orchestral and moody in sound. It starts with ‘Got You Well’, which is a strikingly dramatic album opener and a glimpse of how powerful Papillon is. The drama doesn't end here though and tracks such as ‘Brother, Throw Down’, ‘Ain’t No Bitter’ and‘Come and Gone’ are all lively compelling performances. But it has simple and harmonic parts too such as ‘Kentucky in the Dark’ which features some beautiful violin and a great banjo solo in the middle holding it all in. The calmest moment comes at the end though with ‘Well Beneath’, which sports some slightly distorted vocals which are accompanied by a sparse drum and xylophone. Gabrielle uses a vast array of instruments from pedal steel to cello, violin, trombone and French horn. Its sound moves from being full-on and loud to laid back and chilled. A superb album!

Track Listing:-

1 Got You Well
2 With Our Trouble
3 Come And Gone
4 Preach Love
5 Idling
6 Kentucky In The Dark
7 Symphony Of Better Times
8 Brother, Throw Down
9 Ain't No Bitter
10 This Light Will Not Burn
11 Cradles
12 Then Will I
13 Well Beneath