After giving the dingleberries’ second album Ashore quite a few listens I knew I just had to get the word out to as many fans of outstanding musical accomplishment as I could. To me if a song can make you feel a number of emotions and take you on a magical journey of those feelings, then the writer of the words, the musicians who blend in the music and the vocalist or vocalists, who use their voices to bring those words to life have done a marvelous job. Of course the work of sound engineer Mike Petkau brought all of this together to create a fabulous disk. Bravo dingleberries you have used your talents as writers, musicians and singers to create a great piece of work on par with many of the most accomplished of bands.
Beginning with the title track, this versatile outfit who greatly enjoy bringing their music to everyone, be it hundreds in a large hall or just a handful of friends in a small venue, work through a dozen solid tracks totaling 48 minutes 30 seconds. The CD begins with the full length version of Ashore and ends with the radio edit of the same song. In between are a variety of superbly written and performed songs that are sure to give you an exhilaratingly emotional ride. Songs of the relationships with others that we all experience in our lives. Songs of extreme sadness of a love breakup and of losing someone so near and dear to us.
It only seems fitting to bracket the other 10 fabulous tunes with two versions of the title track penned by Robertson, MacLean and Bell. How about these for straight from the heart lyrics. ‘Staring out at the water, Like I’m waiting for my ship to come in, I’ve finally hit rock bottom, And I don’t know where to begin… I should be drowning in my sorrows, There are no hands there to pull me ashore, I don’t take help when I need it, Now I’ve never needed it more. Now she is gone and…the house is gone and…The life that I had with you is… Finally gone.’
It only makes sense that, with the band being made up of five unique individuals, actually six with Jane Moody on cello and background vocals, that they are as versatile as they are. Famous for their interpretations of numerous artists music at special shows like the Super Sixties Show coming up at the Kenmor Theatre in April, the band is unafraid to tackle a wide variety of songs. And they do just that here! Frank MacLean, guitar, lead, harmony and backup vocals and Scott Bell, keyboards, background vocals, accordion, percussion and clarinet co-founded the band in 1992. Moody joined in a year later.
Derek Robertson, lead, harmony and background vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion; Jeff Korchoski, drums, harmony and background vocals, percussion and Larry Solinski on bass complete the lineup of the band. The CD also includes the valuable contribution of some talented guest musicians. Leanne Zacharias, cello; Paul Bergman, banjo, background vocals; Karl Redding, background vocals, guitar and Jon Guenter, viola, mandolin, background vocals.
Robertson handles lead vocals on most of the songs with MacLean doing wonderful lead vocal work on the others. A lot of easy listening rock, tinged with country rock and folk is found on this CD. Maclean wrote Who Should Cry Now?, Find That Highway, The tale of the Dead Horse Creek, Stay With Me, Halfway Tree and She Left Yesterday. He and Robertson collaborated on The Reason. Robertson wrote Believe in Me and co-wrote Window Eyes and Yesteryears with Elise Rea.
