BRADEN HURSH

Singer Grant Davidson fits comfortably into the folk music scene.

Slow Leaves — the recording alias of singer Grant Davidson — recently released a full-length album that blends into the mass of folk-country music that is already on the market.

Following Tired Limbs for Ashes (2009) and Dust and Violets (2011), his most recent album Beauty Is So Common is a poetic look at the genre. From Winnipeg, Mb., Davidson’s prairie roots can be heard sneaking through this calm acoustic music. Fitting into the genre like so many other indie artists from Western Canada, Slow Leaves uses widely accepted and somewhat predictable lyrical topics.

The musical styling of Slow Leaves is evident in its name. The music is in no hurry as it often begins quietly with a single guitar and soft vocals, collecting the sounds of other instruments and increasing its pace as the song progresses. Like leaves in the wind, the music starts slow, swirls, rises and finally settles.

The obvious strength of Beauty Is So Common lies in the heartfelt lyrics and warm accompanying guitar, harmonica and soft percussion, as seven of the ten tracks are either purely slow or progressive tunes. The attempt to inject what may be considered lively songs into the middle and end of Beauty Is So Common takes away from the album as a whole. The inclusion of songs such as “Neighbourhood Watch” and “Country of Ideas” — although understandable as perhaps a means of a brief tonal shift — is unnecessary and largely detrimental to the album as a whole however, the energetic “Life of a Better Man” is undeniably a great song.

Davidson recruited Rusty Matyas, producer of Imaginary Cities’ debut album, to produce Beauty Is So Common. Yet the pop music experience of Matyas does not seem to match what the sound of Slow Leaves should be — pure folk-country without the attempted rock-like songs included that may appeal to a wider crowd.

The music of Beauty Is So Common is not that of bright sunny days, nor would it be played on the main-stage at a music festival. This is music about love and idealizing nature like a Romantic poet, but in an honest and believable way.

The lyrics may be considered sappy — but to be fair, basically any love poetry can fall into that category. The lyrics are for people that believe in the storybook kind of love. This is music to listen to during the winter hours, in a coffee shop, or at an intimate and relaxed venue such as a small pub.

Although Slow Leaves makes music that is easy to listen to and has lyrical merit, there is very little that differentiates it from the huge percentage of bands within the same genre.

Folk-country is currently saturated in both the indie and mainstream market, placing the onus on new artists to be different or more appealing in some way, shape, or form. Slow Leaves has not set itself apart or broken any new ground. Instead, Davidson has found a comfortable spot in a genre that is accepted as being quite similar from one band to the next. Musical comparisons to Slow Leaves could be made to such artists as Angus Stone, Ray LaMontagne, Jeremy Fisher and Dawes.

Beauty Is So Common is undoubtedly an album designed to fit a specific mood. It is not something that could be listened to unless it strikes your fancy. It is not an outstanding album by any means, but it would be great to have as background music while studying or maybe if you have indeed found that storybook and idealized kind of love.

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Photo: Supplied — Mike Katshislaw