By Bob Mersereau, Top 100 Canadian Singles
I recall sitting on a prize jury a few years back, and one of the company disparagingly referred to Joel Plaskett’s music as “dad rock”. That meant the kind of rock your dad would listen to, if you were in your 30’s I guess, and hipper than that, music from the 60’s-70’s era. I guess this would make him apoplectic, as Plaskett has made his latest with his actual dad.
Fans will be familiar with the senior Plaskett, Bill, as he’s recorded on previous works by his son such as Three, and done the occasional tour with him. A folk performer and songwriter himself, he’s probably been as big an influence as any on his son’s life, natch, but here we find out it’s more than just choice of profession. Bill’s a died-in-the-wool folksinger, where the words mean something, whether personal or for the people. Some of that is political for sure, and Plaskett the younger certainly has chosen to drive on the left side of that road. That’s reflected here in the traditional We Have Fed You All For 1000 Years, and Joel’s Blank Cheque, partially a reaction to the U.S. election campaign.[READ MORE]