Colin Linden - From The Water

From The Water - 3
Mon Coeur Est Dans Tes Mains - 4
Built Right On The Ground - 3
Smoke 'Em All - 4
Trouble Only Comes In 3's - 3
Between The Darkness And The Light Of Day - 3
I Have Seen A Miracle - 3
Devilment - 4
John Lennon In New Orleans - 3
Later Than You Think - 4
The Price You Pay - 4
Sinking Down Slow - 3
The Heaven Me - 3
God Will Always Remember Your Prayers - 4
Total - 48 stars / 14 tracks = 3.43 stars

I was a bit nervous listening to this album, mostly becuase it was given to me as a gift, and I would hate to seem ungrateful by writing a scathing review of it. Thankfully, the album is pretty darned good, and the crisis was averted.

Let's start with the negative and get it out of the way. On some of the tracks, the production sounded off, with Linden's vocals sounding particularly muffled. The fact that it doesn't happen all the time suggests inconsistent recording, or that it's done intentionally for some kind of artistic reason. Since such a reason escapes me, it ends up being distracting, making the album sound unpolished.

I had a bit of a bizarre experience listening to this album, as I could swear I had heard some of the songs before, all played together. After a bit of digging, I realized that it was because "Devilment," "John Lennon In New Orleans," and "Later Than You Think" all appeared on Paul Reddick's Sugarbird. Apparently, Linden either wrote or co-wrote all of Sugarbird's songs, all of which sounds just as good, if not better, on Linden's album.

I love French songs, mainly because I feel smug when I understand them. "Mon Coeur Est Dans Tes Mains" is no exception. It's a pretty song with sweet, rewarding lyrics.

"The Price You Pay" a solid, groovy cut.

"God Will Always Remember Your Prayers" accomplished the impossible in getting me past my initial knee-jerk rejection of spiritual songs. It's an accessible, well-written song, with a "God works in mysterious ways" sort of message.

Overall, From The Water is a varied, enjoyable album from an artist more famous for his collaboration than his time in the spotlight. This album shows that any time on center stage he gets is well-earned.