Picture this: the hippest 69 year old Canadian you can think of – the guy who produced albums you know and love by U2, Peter Gabriel, Brandon Flowers, Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris, just to name a few –yeah, picture that guy, Daniel Lanois releasing a new album under his own name (and label) that is something rare in recorded music today: it is unique.
The new album, Heavy Sun is some kind of impossible blend of Gospel, Atmospheric Chill, Sprinkled with Lo-Fi touches and a tiny pinch of Ambient- but always rooted in Southern Gospel. The trick that Lanois has pulled off is to take all of those recognizable genres and fuse them into something you have not heard before.
He had a lot of help: The Heavy Sun Orchestra turned the album into a foursome, guitarist/vocalist Rocco DeLuca, organist/vocalist Johnny Shepherd, and bassist/vocalist Jim Wilson. Lanois himself is a guitarist.
In fact, it was as the occasional guitarist sitting in with the Hallelujah Train band at the Shreveport, Louisiana-based Zion Baptist Church that Lanois met the organist and choir director Johnny Shepherd. Shepherd who had never performed outside a church was reportedly reluctant to sign on, but his playing and vocals really make the album. Here’s an example of Shepherd bringing “the church” to the recording studios:
The track (Under The) Heavy Sun starts off like the soundtrack to a film where a cool cat walks into a dark lounge and then…then the vocals kick in and suddenly the lounge turns into a dark church sanctuary with one singer standing in a spotlight. Now we’re in Spiritual music territory. Here it is:
Though the tracks were laid down pre-Covid, Lanois hopes that the songs can be a positive force for people in these times. He says, “We wanted to remind people not to let the world steal their joy… it’s our responsibility to protect our spirits and find ways to keep on dancing, keep on singing, keep on teaching, keep on loving.”
You can get the album on all the usual digital platforms, including Spotify , Apple, and Amazon.
Official Website: https://www.daniellanois.com/
Heavy Sun | 3 out of 4 Stars | Reviewed by Kyle Osborne
