From: Pete Fyfe
[petefyfe_at_aol_dot_com]
Sent: 17 April 2012 14:01
Subject: Pete Fyfe: Jon Brooks -
Delicate Cages
Attachments: Jon Brooks - Delicate
Cages.jpg
JON BROOKS - Delicate Cages
(Borealis Records BCD220)
There'll be no banner waving or
singing of "Nearer My God To Thee" if the lyrics of Jon Brooks opening track
"Because We're Free" is anything to go by. This Toronto based singer-songwriter
certainly knows how to put across his message in a self-assured style that will
send a shiver down the spine of any ?thinking' man (that rules out any guests
on the Jeremy Kyle show then) bringing back nostalgic memories of early Dylan
and Paxton. If you're going to get your point across then do it with the
minimum of fuss and leave the reader to fill in the gaps using their own
imagination as to what it is you're trying to convey. On this recording it is
an image alluded to yet never quite dangled like a guillotine suspended over a
victim from an Edgar Allen Poe tale that entertains and enthrals in equal
measure. Like a work of art Brooks way with words make you delve more deeply
than you're possibly accustomed to but let's face it, in this day and age when
we're dictated by the likes of Tesco and Walmart as to what we should be
reading then Heaven help us all. With sterling work provided by fellow
musicians Joe Phillips (bass), John Showman (violin), Scott Dibble (guitars)
and Carrie Elkin/Lynn Miles on vocals this album really is something special.
By the way, (and this is aimed squarely on the shoulders of ?folk' artists and
designers who try to be too clever) straight forward black text on a white
background is far better for a majority of your audience as the accompanying
booklet to the CD testifies! www.jonbrooks.ca
PETE FYFE