April 26th, 2010
Before I get going talking about track 7, I want to share a secret with you - Have been having a lot of weird dreams lately - for example last night, I dreamed I was a dainty little Senorita, just graduated from college, with my whole life ahead of me. In my dream, I met and fell in love with a Mexican burro - and we eventually married. Of course we had no offspring, no matter how hard we tried, and you may think that this was the reason our marriage failed - but it actually was because of the way he treated me.. I mean he was just an animal in every sense of the word..
So reason for the above, want to have a good solid night’s sleep, with no weirdness creeping in, and am figuring that if I ever get enough money to do this, am gonna hire me Henry Crevier to come by the house for an hour every night, and sing me to sleep...
This man has a voice, as good as any I have ever heard, and he takes track 7, the Lorne Jones composition " Running Light ", and brings it to life. The way Henry sings this thing, you can feel his pain, sorrow, and sadness - This is a hurtin' song, and Henry lives, breathes, and sings the hurt. A most amazing composition, all about the loneliness a man feels after a relationship break up, when that man heads out on the tug, and has nothing much but time to think about his life, his lost love, and his emptiness.
Henry Crevier is a master at whatever he sings, and it amazing me that a talent of this magnitude is not living in a mansion on a mountain top in Nashville, he is that good.
Song number 8 on the Tugman cd is another one of Lorne Jone's tongue in cheek numbers, which he sings with his usual enthusiasm and sense of fun.
On the tug, you can feel all alone out in the middle of the churning seas, and whatever happens, be it boredom, mechanical failures, or bad weather, you just gotta deal with it, cause your life depends on it. The title of the tune, and the lesson of the song is "Shit Happens", and of course it does, to all of us each and every day, but on a tugboat every piece of shit takes on a whole new sense of urgency, and this song spells it out in a very fun way....
Lorne Jones has magic fingers - Oh boy, could a person with a twisted mind ever have fun with that line!!. But he does and his guitar work is magic, magic to see and magic to listen to. Having said that, I gotta admit that I am clueless as to what is good or what isn't in terms of instrumental sounds. I know track 9 is one of Lorne’s very favourites, “Tugboat Breakdown " is a fast paced, toe tapping instrumental which allows Lorne to shine as the brilliant musician that he is.
Since I don't know quack, I let a few friends who are quite into non vocal type of music listen to this song, and without exception, they were agreed that Lorne is a master at what he does, and they were anxious to hear more of his instrumental work - perhaps on album # 2.
The title song “Tugman" is nestled in position 10 on the CD. Once again Lorne writes from personal experience on the life of a Tugman, and his pride in what he does for a living. This song could be the theme song for the tens of thousands of Tugman all over the world. I am quite sure each and every one of them would relate to this song and it's words - Cause it ain't just Lorne's life - it is the life of every man or woman who makes their living by piloting or crewing the workhorses of the oceans and seas.
All good albums, and for that matter , all bad albums have to come to an end at some point, and the final song on Lorne's first album is the last song on the album, which of course goes without saying.
This song is a little different than the others on the album, Lorne gets a little political on this selection, but all in good humour. The tune is called "West Coast" and is likely the most purely fun song on the cd. It's all about tug boating on the west coast, hippies, toilet paper, politicians, the economy, newspapers and trees. And there is a special message for the tree huggers of the west coast - a very funny message - What a wonderful song to end this totally delightful album.... Lorne, Dan, and all the team that worked so hard on putting this thing together, have totally outdone themselves, and this is an album that belongs in the collection of anyone who enjoys music as it was meant to be, plain, pure, simple and really really good.
Someone asked me the other day how I liked Lorne's album, and I replied - "I like that sum'bitch a lot"...