Canada’s Reid Jamieson brings sweet choirboy crooning to the honky-tonk. An unabashed fan of the vintage vibe, his musical sensibilities tend toward a country-tinged, retro-roots sound, and over that musical framework his crystal-clear alto softly soars, filling his tunes with supple tenderness.
On his second full-length solo release, The Unavoidable Truth, Jamieson’s reflections often occupy a plaintive air, yet unfold as soothing affirmations for a soul hungry for growth. His exposed-heart lyrical approach acknowledges the heartbreak of the past but sees the heart’s recuperative power and embraces new beginnings. “Turn your mistakes inside out,” he sings on the easy-paced opening track, “Last Day of the Year”, as he gets his croon on.
From there, Jamieson up-shifts to the churning rockabilly pace of “Grass Dirt”, flavored by banjo and the pedal steel of Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco). Fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer adds a lovely harmony on the poignant ballad “Holding Out”, before Jamieson brings the tempo back up with a lilting drum rhythm on the title track, dishing out some twangy pop and one of the album’s catchiest songs.
It’s just Jamieson and his guitar on the naked, country-folk ballad “Starting to Learn”, before the pop-rock “The Sum of Your Parts” steers things back in the other direction, even bringing in a Bacharach trumpet interlude to brighten the mood.
Singer-songwriter Mia Sheard’s backing vocals complement Jamieson’s on several tracks, while Egan’s recurring pedal steel work adds a tastefully sweet weep throughout. Jamieson closes out with the honky-tonk piano swagger of “Orange and Red”, with his silvery pipes as a smooth counterpoint.
At under 35 minutes, The Unavoidable Truth doesn’t demand much of the listener’s time. Except that you’ll want to play it again.
— Jim Kirlin
Canada’s Reid Jamieson brings sweet choirboy crooning to the honky-tonk. An unabashed fan of the vintage vibe, his musical sensibilities tend toward a country-tinged, retro-roots sound, and over that musical framework his crystal-clear alto softly soars, filling his tunes with supple tenderness.