Though hardly a household name this side of the pond, BARNEY BENTALL nonetheless drags a substantial body of work in his wake. He's a Calgary native now based in Vancouver, while his CV includes his legend-building years with well-respected Canadian troupers Legendary Hearts.
And, while my radar had failed to detect his solo career until now, it turns out that 'The Inside Passage' is not only his seventh studio outing, but it's yet another reason to marvel at the seemingly endless supply of great Roots-Rock oozing outta British Columbia.
However, while 'The Inside Passage' is a recognisably Roots-related record, it's often served sunny side up with a generous quart of Rock/ Pop to help wash it down. Opening track 'Hold My Heart' is breezy, no-nonsense and direct with an anthemic chorus and plenty of punch in reserve, even if it does make space for a Byron Berline-style fiddle solo from one Daniel Lapp. 'On This Beautiful Night”s tale of a stranger in a strange land (“dagger totin' desperadoes taking in the sights/ Evening gowns and black Tuxedos bathed in blue Italian light”) has a powerful Jayhawks-y groove and is punched up by a horn section, while 'Catch A Train”s melody sounds vaguely reminiscent of Rod Stewart's 'Maggie May'. That's not a problem, mind, and its' control-your-own-destiny message (“no, I won't go quietly into the night...and it's far too late to become what my father hoped”) is all too easy to relate to if you've been round the block a few times yourself.
However, 'The Inside Passage' is about much more than simply getting your rocks off. It's a consummate singer/ songwriter record featuring a wealth of moods and styles. There are Roots-ier dalliances along the way – not least the full-throttle, fiddle-fuelled hoedown 'Papa Henry's Boy' and the lovely, tears-in-beers melancholy of 'I Never Meant To Make You Cry' – but there's also room for breathy, romantic balladry ('Face to Face') and straight-down-the-line autobiography on 'Sending Out A Message' where Bentall admits “I've always been a troubadour, doing what I do.”
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Then there's the hard to pigeon-hole stuff and it's probably the best of all. To this end, try 'She Ran Away ' on for size. It's an atmospheric manoeuvre doused in heartache and just a hint of Daniel Lanois. Then there's the title track. It starts out as a heartfelt tribute to the inherent beauty of Bentall's adopted British Columbia homeland, but when the band step out of the shadows, they transform it into a sonic workout of epic proportions. Neither are necessarily what you'd expect from a broadly Roots-related album, but they're both good examples of both the ambition and realisation going down here.
Barney Bentall, then, is well worth checking out. He writes resonant songs of hope, love and loss which connect thousands of miles away from the wide open spaces of his enigmatic Canadian homeland. 'The Inside Passage' charts some quite beautiful waters you ought to traverse at your earliest convenience.
Barney Bentall online
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