ISLANDS (DIG)

RUTLEDGE, JUSTIN

product information

Condition: New, UPC: 6233399150214, Publication Date: 03/26/2021, Type: COMPACT DISC, Style: POP/FOLK & TRADITIONAL,

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description

tracks

Come Summertime
Good Man
This Is War
Out Of The Woods
Federal Mail
Nautical Disaster
Alberta Breeze
St. Peter
Jellybean

notes

This album is a retrospective, an opportunity for Justin to re-record a selection of songs from his back catalog in the way in which they were originally conceived – alone, with minimal accompaniment. It’s also a place where earlier tunes such as “Alberta Breeze” can appear alongside popular cuts like “Out of the Woods,” something you may only encounter if you are fortunate enough to catch this artist perform live.

With “Islands,” Justin looks back on the creative process that spawned the material that continues to resonate with his fans. Whether recalling time spent bartending in a London pub that inspired many songs found on his 2012 “No Never Alone” album, or the recent joys of marriage and fatherhood that filtered into “Passages,” Rutledge has no shortage of material and memories to bring back to life. “I look back and view past albums as bookmarks in my life,” he shares. “I was a different person at the release of each album. Recording Islands required a stroll down memory lane, for better or worse, and shaking hands with the people I used to be.”

Recorded and mixed by Chris Stringer (Megan Bonnell, Liz Stringer) over three days at Union Sound Company in Toronto, and mastered by Joao Carvalho (Rose Cousins, Donovan Woods), the creativity saw Justin mostly alone with his acoustic guitar in the live room (recording during a pandemic being quite a challenge), while friends would step in to add their parts. With Chris Stringer on lap steel, Mike Brushey on drums, and Devon Henderson on bass, the “Islands” sessions also add electric guitar from Tom Juhas (Joan Smith & the Jane Does), and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Comeau (Jerry Leger) on organ and piano. Efforts were made to maintain a spacious musical arrangement for the songs, and purposely kept casual to capture the essence of Justin’s typical late-night writing sessions.
Offering ten tracks, “Islands” consists of eight reworked tracks from Justin’s past, and two brand new tunes previously unrecorded, but well known as staples from his live performances. One of these new tracks was released as the first single back in January, “Jellybean,” a crowd-participation favorite that finally makes it into the studio for keeps. “I’ve always been cautious about recording Jellybean on an album because it is such a ‘live’ song,” Justin offers. “I’ve tried it a few times in the past but it never made the cut. I think I finally captured the essence of the song with this recording.” To recreate the live feel and vibe, Justin called upon several friends to form an informal ‘Jellybean Choir’ for the recording, including household names such as Dan Mangan and Matthew Barber in this select group. And with his most recent single release, Justin captures the poeticism of Gord Downie’s genius in a haunting version of “Nautical Disaster,” the Tragically Hip tune that has also become a popular part of his live set. “In many ways, I owe my life as a songwriter to The Hip,” Justin adds. “As a teenager, their songs empowered me to pick up the guitar and instilled in me the strength of the written (and sung) word.”

“Islands” is a perfect glance back on a journey that has been shaped by becoming a songwriter, an artist, a performer and now a husband and a father. These songs have been given a whole new lease of life, and we are incredibly grateful that Justin Rutledge welcomed the opportunity to discuss this new album with us, and offer some personal insights behind his new interpretations of these tunes.

credits

Bass – - Devon Henderson
Choir – - Annelise Noronha (tracks: 9), - Blake Manning (tracks: 9), - Dan Mangan (2) (tracks: 9), - David Baxter (tracks: 9), Kara Manowitch (tracks: 9), - Kate Rogers (tracks: 9), - Matthew Barber (tracks: 9), Rebecca Hunt (tracks: 9)Drums – - Michael Brushey
Electric Guitar – - Tom Juhas
Mastered By – - Joao Carvalho
Piano, Organ – - Aaron Comeau
Producer, Acoustic Guitar – - Justin Rutledge
Recorded By, Mixed By, Lap Steel Guitar – - Chris Stringer

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