Doug MacNearney is a folk artist who hails from Prince Edward Island in Northeast Canada. He is about to release his debut full-length album entitled Rambling Songs which, as the name suggests, is inspired by his travels around Canada. The album is a masterclass in deceptively simple folk music and, more importantly, vivid and evocative storytelling.
This is the sort of album that sinks in with repeated listens. While the strummed banjo and gruff vocals mean the songs are instantly satisfying, the experience is enhanced exponentially if you are willing to spend some time exploring the lyrics. After a certain number of listens, when the pretty couplets become less isolated and begin to stick together, the true beauty and purpose of the songs is revealed.
The album opens with ‘Voyageur’, a song about the Métis people, a race of aboriginal Canadians who were born to First Nation mothers and European fathers. The song’s title refers to francophone travellers who transported furs around Canada by canoe in the 18th and 19th centuries, many of whom fathered Métis children by native women on their travels. ‘Voyageur’ is a beautifully sad song told from the perspective of an aboriginal woman who yearns for the return of the father of her child. The theme is nicely captured with the line I have chosen below:
“Each day now my stomach gets bigger,
it is summer it’s June.And I’ll tell him his Poppa was tall and handsome
and I’ll tell him he’s coming home soon.”
Another track, ‘The Wind It Will Blow’, is based around the reflections of a man who has lived his life and is preparing for the end, with Doug MacNearney ruminating on family and love and life and death. It opens with the line:
“Oh the wind it will blow over and over my bones as they bleach upon the hill.”
It is a song about about the passing of time and the passing of loved ones and the strength and hope that people muster to carry on. This sentiment is illustrated with this line near the end of the song:
“And tell my children to go on through the winters and be strong and our song will carry on through the pines trees.”
Rambling Songs truly a heartfelt record, and one that cannot be recommended enough if you are a fan of folk. It is true that the record is quintessentially Canadian, although it remains relevant regardless of where you come from. It’s equally powerful whether you have rambled yourself or have simply dreamed of doing so whilst stuck in some dreary office complex.
The album is due to be released on the 27th of April (i.e. this coming Saturday). You can pre-order it via the Doug MacNearney Bandcamp page. The pre-order includes a CD and digital download code of the album and comes with a fold-out lyrcis/chords sheet, hand-drawn artwork and a poster (see below) by Prince Edward Island artist Susan Christensen. It is also worth noting that Macnearney has made the first eight tracks available for free download as a taster of the album. Get it here.