(Universal)
To suggest Lo Fantasy is a comeback record of sorts maybe a little unfair to Montreal Sam Roberts but he’s certainly been flying low under the radar for the past few years. Having now recorded his fifth release in 11 years, Roberts has always taken his time over projects, usually spacing his work out over two or three years. In this time, he’s penned a number of key compositions such as `Don’t Walk Away Eileen’, `Where Have All The Good People Gone?’ and `Bridge To Nowhere’ and he is certainly a gifted singer/songwriter, yet for some reason Roberts has not been able to sustain any momentum. Yes, he won all the top Juno awards in 2004 with his “We Were Born In A Flame”, but picture Roberts in a present context and it’s really hard to comprehend what genre he fits in.
His first record in three years since his 2011 “Collider” album poses the same questions. His hockey-inspired debut single `We’re All In This Together’ is a solid, anthemic rock song with a great lyrical hook, and there are a number of other well-crafter compositions such as `Kid Icarus’ and `Golden Hour’. What seems to be missing is a collective dynamic which gives you a true sense of what this performer is all about.
Still, with his band; guitarist Dave Nugent, bassist James Hall, keyboardist Eric Fares and drummer Josh Trager, Roberts is about to hit the concert circuit, and doing so will hopefully bring these songs to life and present this album with a more cohesive feel.
Download `We’re All In This Together’ `Kid Icarus’
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