Tim Harrison: Grey County

Tim Harrison Grey County Second Avenue 2011

If 1960s-era folk music makes you sigh with contentment, you'll love this album. I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. Harrison captures the honesty and great storytelling of that era as well as effectively using simple arrangements of banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin and more to frame his great songs. There are nine originals, plus one cover (Richard Farina's "Pack Up Your Sorrows"), all directly or indirectly related to Grey County, his home in Ontario.

"Don Quixote's Dream" has light percussion that gives it a Spanish feel, but also features a Dobro that offers a grittier sound. The most moving song on the album is "Canada Gander's Lament." It's said that Canadian geese mate for life and this true story of a gander waiting for his love's return is heartbreaking. He finally flies away in December when the pond they used to share is frozen over. If you don't have a tear in your eye after hearing this one, you're not made of flesh and bone. "Dan's Story" is a true tale about a young man who is found hanging from a tree, dead by his own hand. Found in drag, he was not accepted in this town where "there were churches built all around the square." The last cut, "Grey County Winter," features a beautifully finger picked guitar. It sounds like it's in a dropped D tuning, with that low string providing a nice drone under the poetic lyrics.

Don't worry about getting those old Ian and Sylvia LPs transferred to CD. Just put on this album. I guarantee it'll fit the bill.

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