Singer-songwriter. Multi-instrumentalist. Storyteller.
Educator. Humourist.
In a career that now spans more than 40 years Mark Haines has worn many hats.
Having followed his career since the early 1990s when he joined forces with Tom Leighton to form the widely respected folk/roots duo Haines & Leighton, I can honestly say he has worn all of those hats well.
He has earned the admiration of his fans and the respect of his peers because, whether he’s performing solo, sharing the stage with Leighton or charming audiences with Patrick Ledwell in The Island Summer Review at Harmony House, he always brings his A-game.
And he certainly brought that A-game into the studio with him for Up By The Roots, his long-awaited solo album.
Produced by Sergey Varlamov at Crabbe Road Studios in Miltonvale Park, Up By The Roots showcases to near perfection the musical gifts that have endeared Haines to so many, from the diversity of his musical influences and the level of his musicianship to his vocal chops.
All but one of the new album’s 13 tracks are original, the sole exception being a big, bouncy cover of the Stephen Foster’s popular 1850 minstrel song Camptown Races.
The original material has been described as a musically adventurous journey through styles and storytelling and it is every bit of that.
The influence of Celtic and North American folk roots music that characterized so much of his earlier work with Tom Leighton can clearly be heard here, but so too can elements of bluegrass, jug band music, country rock, contemporary blues, gospel music and rock ’n’ roll.
There is a timelessness to much of the music here but the arrangements and the production values also give the material a very contemporary feel.
Some of the material, like I’m On My Way and The Red Haired Girl you may already be familiar with if you’ve seen Haines live, but a number of these songs you’ve likely never heard before.
There are several great tracks on Up By The Roots but the songs I keep going back to over and over include Drive That Thing, a window rattler if ever there was one, the gospel-themed Roll The Stone Away, the bluesy When It Rains and The Shannon Belle.
My hands down favourite, The Shannon Belle, is a heartbreaking tale about a cruel, greedy land agent who covets a yearling mare owned by an Irish immigrant, who came to P.E.I. to build a new life early in the 19th century.
Just over nine minutes in length this song is a masterclass in how to tell a story.
Haines plays guitar, fiddle, bass, mandolin, keyboards and bodhran on the record. Old friend Leighton plays keyboards, accordion and whistle on the album while Ledwell adds some trumpet. Producer Varlamov also contributed bouzouki, bass, keyboards and drums. Reg Ballagh also sat in on drums.
Much to enjoy here.
(Rating 4 out of 5 stars)
LISTEN: The Shannon Belle from Mark Haines' newest album, Up By The Roots
Doug Gallant, a freelance writer and well-known connoisseur of a wide variety of music, writes his On Track column for The Guardian every second Thursday.
