Teacher, guitarist, composer, author, performer, Mike O’Brien has served as sideman to Adam Cohen, Lisa LeBlanc and Elisapie, in addition to working with the country tandem Sin and Swoon, and the band El Coyote. For this solo project, the anglo Montrealer signed in to Hotel2Tango and worked with one of its eminent co-owners, Howard Bilerman, accompanied by double bassist Andrew Horton and singer Michelle Tompkins. This simple and fun album illuminates enlightened reflections on intimate life and its immediate periphery. The opus also reveals mantras of hope, tragicomic testimonies or even cartoonish winks recalling the Disney songs concocted by the Sherman brothers. The folk, country, and bluegrass references are undeniably mastered, digested, and… until the eighth track, these songs in O’Brien’s baritone voice might seem to come from anywhere. But a nice French song, “Le prix”, rectifies the impression. That’s when you realize that the Montreal region is the only one where bilingual Canada works in practice… and still not in theory.
Latest 360 Content
Album review Electronic/Hip Hop/hyperpop 2024
Single of the Day: Kaya Hoax ft. Magi Merlin “Hot Girls with ADD”
By Stephan Boissonneault
Album review Americana/Pop
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poet Department: The Anthology
By Alain Brunet
Album review classique/musique traditionnelle/Classical/trad québécois 2024
Karina Gauvin – Marie Hubert : Fille du Roy
By Frédéric Cardin
Interview Folk/Americana/Rock/hyperpop
P’tit Belliveau Talks About His New Album, Frogs, and Income Tax
By Stephan Boissonneault
Interview Rock/Electronic/Experimental / Contemporary/expérimental / contemporain/Pop
At Annie-Claude Deschênes’ table: between utensils & sound experimentation
By Louise Jaunet
Concert review
Université de Montréal | Jean-François Rivest’s Grandiose Farewell
By Elena Mandolini
Interview classique/Jazz/Classical
OSL | Naomi Woo | Musique du Nouveau Monde
By Alexandre Villemaire
Album review classique/Jazz 2024
Nadia Labrie – Flute Passion – Claude Bolling : Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio
By Frédéric Cardin
Album review Classical/classique 2024
David Jalbert – Prokofiev : Piano Sonatas vol. II
By Frédéric Cardin
Interview Rock/Electronic/Pop/Jazz
Hawa B or not Hawa B ? “sadder but better” EP answers the question !
By Alain Brunet
Concert review classique/Classical/Africa
Abel Selaocoe: the wind that blows away
By Frédéric Cardin
Album review Rock 2024