Andre Ethier - On Blue Fog

It happens every year. I make a typical year end best of list and then hardly a week goes by before I'm introduced to something else that really should've been included. Case in point: Andre Ethier's brilliant release On Blue Fog.

Doing a google search for 'Andre Ethier' can be particularly irritating for a guy who really could care less about sports, like me. Apparently Andre shares his namesake with an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and although the buzz surrounding local hometown Ethier has been quite high around here, the search engine indicates that the Dodgers dude is still the more popular of the two. Hopefully that'll change soon.

I really have no one to blame but myself for not purchasing this CD sooner. I saw Ethier open for The Sadies back in November and was very impressed. Shortly after I posted my review, a reader told me that On Blue Fog was spectacular and I should really check it out. About a month later, Soundscapes posted their year end best of and Mr. Ethier's CD ended the year at number two, beaten only by Sandro Perri. (By the way, if year end lists irritate you because of their remarkable similarity to one another, then you should really check out the Soundscapes list. Refreshingly original.)

For those that don't know, Ethier is a former vocalist for The Deadly Snakes, a band that I've heard more about than I've actually heard. This is Andre's first release since the band broke up, and his third solo release altogether. Like most of my favorite albums, On Blue Fog is a bit scattered. Some people prefer their albums to be more uniform but not me. I've got A.D.D. and therefore, versatility is key. He gets compared to Dylan quite a bit, and although I definitely heard the influence when I saw him live, I can't say that I notice it all that much on this recording. Perhaps a bit on "Pride of Egypt" the album's final cut. Overall, I think the album lends itself more to comparisons with Van Morrison or even a little bit of Nick Drake. For the most part however, comparisons are futile because, to his credit, Andre doesn't settle into one style for very long. There's acoustic numbers like "Honeymoon" where the playing is crisp and beautiful. There's haunting folksy numbers like "Good Fortune." "Nothing Is Written In Stone" is a bluesy song that drives ahead with a pulsating thump. The album's centerpiece is the 6:14 chug of "On Lies." I remember clearly loving this song at the show, thinking at the time that it reminded me a bit of Traffic. I don't know if I still feel that this description is accurate, but who cares? It's a great great song that, had I heard it a few days earlier, would've landed nicely in my year end rundown of mind blowing songs.

The Dodgers guy may have hit 13 homeruns last year on the field, but Toronto's Ethier has certainly hit a home run of his own with... OK fine, all you collective groans, I won't go there. Just buy the album, OK?

Downloads: Honey Bee mp3 / In With The Prim mp3
(These songs are from his previous release Secondathallum, available on Paper Bag Records)
Myspace: Andre Ethier
Video: Andre Ethier performs at Soundscapes youtube
Purchase: On Blue Fog at Sonic Unyon Records.