Post Description

Op Verzoek.

Fred Eaglesmith loves the road. The fiercely independent Canadian singer/songwriter's 16th album listens like a stagecoach trip down Route 66, taking its own sweet time in order to sniff out every corner like an Old West Canterbury Tales. The Springsteen-esque opener, "18 Wheels," follows the plight of a lovelorn truckdriver trying to fight the urge to plead his way back into the arms of his estranged lover. It's a fitting start for Milly's Cafe, a sparse and determined collection of stories that refuses to ever break into a gallop -- even the rolling title cut, a Bonnie & Clyde-inspired tale of guns and redemption, barely achieves midtempo. Still, it's an affecting album that uses the space allotted to it as a strength. The languid "Summer Is Over" is all Ferris wheels and small-town lemonade, while the heartbreaking "Rocky," which follows the correspondence between two weathered and ailing cowboys withering away in separate retirement homes, keeps reality clearly in check. It's a road-trip record in the classic sense, and one that's got a confection for whatever mood you may find yourself in. 


Canada
Roots
Label: Mapl


1. 18 Wheels
 2. Kansas
 3. Summer is Over
 4. Thinkin Bout Her
 5. Rocky
 6. Milly's Cafe
 7. Tired
 8. Mrs. Hank Williams
 9. Sign on the Wall
 10. The Rains
 11. Tired Reprise



Willie P. Bennett  Harmonica, Mandolin, Vocals (Background) 
Fred Eaglesmith  Banjo, Cello, Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Melodica, Morin Khuur, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals 
Kori Heppner  Drums, Engineer 
Paul Intson  Mastering 
Scott Merritt  Drums, Guitar, Mastering, Mixing 
Luke Stackhouse  Bass 
Dan Walsh  Dobro, Guitar (Baritone), Lap Steel Guitar