AUGUST - The Sweetest Day
Take a little holiday relaxation, add a dash of driving down the road, several apples and a few dozen pairs of shoes. Stir in a box of childhood memories, a pound of prayer, some hopes and dreams, a smidgeon of regret and a couple of maxed-out credit cards. Wrap the whole thing in a bundle of love and savor it for as long as you like. What am I talking about? The Sweetest Day, a new CD by Vancouver's AUGUST.
The Sweetest Day includes some of the sweetest songs you'll ever hear as well as a few extremely funny tunes that will make you say, "I know what she's talking about." AUGUST is a unique collaboration of four singer-songwriters, all women with successful music careers behind them. Meg Tennant, Rae Armour and Beverley Elliott, the three original members of AUGUST, decided one day to pool their considerable talents and support each other musical endeavors. For two years they played together at local venues, sometimes hiring bass player Linda Kidder to accompany them. Eventually Kidder became such an integral part of the group they decided to make it a quartet.
During the summer of 2007, AUGUST went into the studio and made the exquisite CD, The Sweetest Day, with the production and expert musical assistance of Andreas Schuld. Featuring 13 tunes written by the women either individually or collaboratively, the songs look at various aspects of a woman's life from childhood memories to love gained and lost, from star gazing to shopping. Some songs bring tears, others are hilarious. It's a lot like life, really.
Tennant, Armour, Elliott and Kidder possess beautiful strong voices in their own right. They all sing on every cut and the four-part harmonies are exquisite. One song, Shoulda Coulda Woulda, sounds a lot like the Andrews Sisters from days long ago. Their musical styles include country, folk, rock, soul, bluegrass, jazz and even some bossa nova.
I think what struck me most about The Sweetest Day was how easy it is to listen to and yet how powerful a musical experience it offers. Over the period of a few days, I played the CD over and over again. I never tired of it. I always found something new and interesting - a piece of wisdom to ponder or an image to paint in my mind's eye. I'd often leave the house humming a tune or singing a refrain.
The Sweetest Day is a fine recording, one that I'm delighted to add to my collection. It's filled with joy, with love and with honesty. The lyrics speak to me as a woman and the melodies are upbeat or gently transporting. I know that it represents only a fraction of the many songs these women have written. And so I am anxiously awaiting their second CD.
Peggy Stortz
Freelance Writer
"Arts Alive on the North Shore" Magazine