Grace and Tender

The Friday night show at the Burdock was one of the rare show there that ran quite late. This venue is one of the few in Toronto that typically runs a tight ship. To compound it, it was standing only (they usually put out chairs). The line-up tonight was mostly sub-par. Although I'd probably feel more generous if things had gone on time or I had a place to sit.

Family Dinner played a rather loose set of whiny nerd folk. I thought the singing was weak except when the women took the lead. Sigrun Stella told stories through her folk music. I liked the lyrics in general but wasn't feeling the arrangements. Sandy Martin seemed too young of a band to write a song called I Wanna Marry You. It was Top 40 soft rock with a slight country twang.

Given the late night, the surprisingly packed house had dwindled by the time ostensible head-liner Emilie Mover sat on stage with her classical guitar. For my troubles, I was rewarded with a great set from one of, if not my favourite, singer. Although she did some oldies including Chove Chuva and Fishes, it was all new songs like Dorothy, Walking Through, Decade Blues and a gorgeous Stevie Wonder cover (You and I). After an ode to New York, it turns out that her rare appearances here were likely due to her move there (again). But now that she's back in Toronto, hopefully there will be more shows.

The remaining crowd, mostly musicians and friends, seemed to appreciate the depth in the deceptively simple songs. You appreciate the music, especially her warm voice. Then you notice the subtleties in imagery, the unusual and surprising rhymes, the way she changes a song, without resorting to funky time changes, by stretching or compressing sections. Then you finally realize that Mover uses complex "jazz" chords and not the usual pop/rock ones. Finally, if you're like me, you wonder how can this great musician not be more well-known.