If Bob Dylan by some fluke met up with Old Man Luedecke and the two made music together, it would sound something like Toronto native Jerry Leger. With a raw country sounding voice and nostalgic southern influenced instrumentals Leger crafts a 10 track LP which will leave you wanting more. The Album is being released on February 15th under Golden Rocket Records and it is Leger’s second album released under his own name. Travelling Grey is one of the best singer/songwriter albums released in the past few years. Even Ron Sexsmith would agree that “Jerry Leger is one of the best songwriters I’ve heard in quite some time”.
The overall tone of the album is reflective as both the lyrics and sound are quite mellow and full of so much passion. Leger is a true Canadian kid with an authentic Canadian sound who’s vibe will remind you of a vast prairie landscape. The album, Traveling Grey is dedicated to the memory of his Grandfather and you can really hear Leger pour his heart out on tracks like “John Lewis” where Leger creates a really dark bluesy tune using many minor chords and a melancholy violin part. The album is a good mix of these melancholy, upbeat, and songs of hope like “Dreamer Pretender” which sounds like a classic Joel Plaskett song.
Jerry Leger displays his many talents as he pushes his voice to the limit, plays the piano with impeccable rhythm and makes songs with simple chords sound much more complex than they are. He uses very unique strumming patterns when playing guitar which creates a very full sound. It is no doubt that Travelling Grey is an album to pull off the shelf when you’re feeling homesick, nostalgic, or just taking a real long drive.
Jerry Leger – Truth Is All Around You (right click save as)
@sawgr contributes to the Broken Speaker, nxew.ca, the dal gazette, and is a radio programmer at CKDU Halifax.
