Description:
"Toronto troubadour Justin Rutledge received serious (and deserved) praise for his 2004 debut, No Never Alone, an artfully-crafted collection of mellow and mostly sad roots-inflected tunes. He ups the ante on this follow-up, an album that is considerably more expansive, both musically and vocally. Perpetually labelled a "miserablist," Rutledge remains a master of melancholy. That is confirmed by such gently haunting tunes as "Backseat Honeymoon/Blue Is What I Do" and "I Am with Her Where the Avalanche Begins," while he displays an increased vocal vigour on such tunes as the muscular "This Is War." The album`s real tour de force is "The Suffering Of Pepe OMalley (Pt. IV)," a richly romantic ode to Vienna, one that showcases his poetic gifts... In terms of singer-songwriter albums, this ranks right alongside initial sake Josh Ritter`s The Animal Years as the very best of the year." --Kerry Doole, exclaim-canada.com (Six Shooter Records)
