Four months ago, in my world, Jerry Leger was just another opening act to be endured before seeing the great Ron Sexsmith. Today, he rarely leaves my CD player.
Take Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and throw them in a blender. Flip the switch, rock the top off and watch the music splash off the walls. What you have is Jerry Leger.
His latest studio effort, You, Me and the Horse, finds shape in fiddles, harmonicas and acoustic guitar. With rolling sounds reminiscent of the east coast, it’s hard to believe Jerry is from Toronto’s beaches. His cutting lyrics and expressive voice push him beyond folk. The sound remains intimate but powerful. It takes hold and commands you to listen. From the outset of his opening number at Toronto’s Hugh’s Room, he had my attention. I haven’t looked away.
Remove, You, Me and the Horse, from its sleeve, insert it into your player, and the first track that thumps through your speakers is Round Walls. Its upbeat and infectious tempo is an instant hook. Try as I may, I can never pass up this song when listening to the album. In the leadoff position, it demands that the listener enjoy the disc from start to finish. This is how I like my albums, all quality with no interruptions.
Warning Sirens shows off Leger’s singing abilities; he hangs off his lyrics, squeezes just the right emotion out of his sound and comfortably plays with his voice. He presents his material with the precision of a master craftsman. At the core of his music, his guitar always has the perfect feel.
The fact that his songs are brilliant compositions also helps in their presentation. The lyrical depths of Looking For A Friend, Mansion Round The Bend and Daddy’s Lantern are awe inspiring. His subjects and insights make it hard to believe he’s only twenty-three years old.
Like Dylan, Leger’s sound, subject matter and stage presence all suggest that he is privy to secrets of the universe that the rest of us are not. His experiences all seem more meaningful, poetic and universal in their truth. As the writer and performer of these musical gems, he wears the hat of divine understanding. If we could just touch the hem of his garments, maybe we could see into our own lives as clearly as we see into the pictures provoked by his songs.
Too often, reviewers try to put themselves on par with artists by breaking down their lyrical genius in attempt to explain what makes them great. I choose simply to enjoy Jerry’s incredible storytelling gift. His exceptional writing requires no more analysis than that.
One rainy Thursday in late August, I headed down to Toronto with my wife and brother to see Jerry play in the beaches at Castro’s Lounge. Touring is lighter in the summer, and Jerry Leger and the Situation play this small Cuban restaurant and bar weekly. It’s where Jerry got his start.
The evening became my Beatles at the Cavern experience. At 8:30PM, Jerry strolled in from Queen Street East, guitar case in hand, wearing blue jeans and what I suspect was the same green button up shirt from the Hugh’s Room show.
A full band complete with drums, fiddle, bass and electric guitar crammed into the small space. The owner moved a few front tables back to give Jerry some room. The group promptly crashed into their set at 9:00PM, feet away from our table. An unflappable Leger roared vocals into his microphone inches in front of two conversationalists discussing the meaning of life over chicken wings.
It was rock and roll at its finest. The band played straight through to 11:00PM. A local drunk contributed to the atmosphere with free style dance interpretations to songs off Leger’s more ‘rockous’ album, Farewell Ghost Town.
And at the end of it all, the man himself, Jerry Leger, sat with us. We talked for twenty minutes. He seemed more interested in who we were and what we were up to. He didn’t need to say much. His music had done that for him.
By: Alex Headley
(The very Headley of, Headley Talks, an online blog dedicated to the acknowledgement of greatness.)
Check out Jerry Leger at http://www.myspace.com/jerryleger
[...] Headley presents Jerry Leger and The Situation posted at Headley Talks, saying, “Jerry Leger and The [...]
[...] Headley presents Jerry Leger and The Situation posted at Headley Talks, saying, “Jerry Leger and The [...]