A Singer-Songwriter’s Poignant, Personal Testament To His Guitarist Dad – Decades Later

I’ve reviewed many musicians through the years and many always try their best to be original, creative and different. Some try to just entertain, others to inspire and some just to do something that they enjoy to do. It’s not always easy, but they try…some more diligently than others. 

Recently, I was opening dozens of albums and perusing through to see what kind of priority I was faced with. I always try to keep it balanced and of course, priorities are usually the oldest received CD’s or whatever is about to drop and needs the extra push. I worked in the deadline business for my entire career – television, motion pictures and later the recording business. Whenever an author was going to appear on one of our TV shows I always got the published book 4-6 weeks before it was released. I always thought you backed out your product to the media by several weeks.

This doesn’t always happen in music. At least with Glen, that was not an issue, his representatives do a great job. I try to get to everyone…one way or another. After all, the recording costs money, takes time and someone made a big investment.  

But, as I mentioned, many artists I review are indeed talented, wonderful artists. Many have a thread of other more famous or acknowledged artists that remind me of them. That’s doesn’t work against the newer artist at all unless they are absolutely emulating the other artist. But many do inject their own personality into a performance either in their singing, lyrics or musical approach. Songwriters in the 50’s and 60’s who were not artists often would emulate a particular singer to give them an idea about what it could be for them. Sometimes they would get into trouble for it. Terry Stafford demo-ed songs for Elvis Presley because he sounded like Elvis. So he submitted “Suspicion” to Elvis — not “Suspicious Minds,” but “Suspicion.”  But, his mistake was recording and releasing the song himself before Elvis released his own. Stafford had the hit in 1965 — but, he never worked for Elvis again and Terry never had a hit after that one. 

As I opened these albums I hoped this time I would come across something that doesn’t sound like someone else in a real formative way. I wanted  the experience to be different. I wanted someone with a traditional heart, someone who just played with no show boating, no hat-tip to many previous artists. Someone not necessarily going for a commercial hit, and just did what most musicians try to do: play and let their personality, character, with its soul and inspiration run down their arm into their fingers onto the strings of their guitar and create something familiar and resounding.

So here we have Glen MacNeil’s new album — “Where the Heart Remains,” which for the most part a poignant personal testament of a man’s relationship with his dad.

Many of the players, co-writers and songs are dedicated to Glen’s dad, as well as, some of the musician’s relatives who played with his Dad.

As you listen to the title song: “The Island Is Where the Heart Remains,” — you’ll pick out grains of James Taylor in the gentle melodic guitar and the storyline as it unfolds with impressionable lines. There is no over dramatizing. No whiney pop-folk stance. The sincerity is authentic, balanced and anyone who has a heart will relate to this material. “Summer by the Sea,” is fatter in sound and the guitar picking is stimulating. MacNeil sings with many influences but his tone is righteously fresh. He possesses a voice, while not as deep as the late folk singer Fred Neil (“Dolphins,” & “Everybody’s Talkin’”) does have the same coffee house folk music construction and clever turns of phrase that made Neil a legendary folky.

I’m a word man, love lyrics when they are written with some thought behind them and not littered with cliches. But, in this tune, the melody and musicianship is so profoundly good I’ve played the song over just to listen to the progressions. If it were the early 60’s Glen MacNeil would find some place on a stage beside the early Dylan, Karen Dalton and Dave Van Ronk. His only drawback that I can detect: he is mostly soft spoken in the folky vein. There is no real rich artery of folk-blues that shows itself just yet. Dylan had it, Dalton had it, Van Ronk and even the late Phil Ochs had it.  But, I’m sure, eventually, Glen’s folkiness will find some of that blues vinegar, country-blues salt and rootsy blues pepper — to enliven his performance.

The third track is ideally folk with John Law’s resonator guitar winding through the melody. The backup singers (Phillip Scott Poli) — all effective. And “I Wish I Was a Train,” sparks some marvelous old time folk that was at one time the signature sounding approach of groups like The Kingston Trio & the Chad Mitchell Trio. I believe that even Peter, Paul & Mary would give this a spin if they were still actively performing. Many reading this may not even know who I’m talking about – but, believe me that’s where the original seeds were planted and if not, then we would have to go even further back to Jimmie Rogers, Charlie Patton or even Leadbelly. But, more importantly, there’s nothing corny about these tunes. It’s all serious, proficient and written with a lot of living, a lot of memory and a lot of love.

“If I Could I Would,” is a Glen MacNeil original – it sounds like it was written somewhere in Appalachia a long time ago and was a song found on an old album by some obscure singer — but it’s not. This is a sparkling jewel of a song in the tradition of the long dead songwriters that sang tunes that the Carter Family may have sung on a country radio transmitting from some off the dirt road of the 1930’s. Much the same as those colorful characters in the film “Oh, Brother” with George Clooney less the hokum. This MacNeil tune should become, or could become, a country-folk classic.

Maybe Alison Krauss is reading this, wouldn’t that be nice? The mandolin picking decorates the melody as MacNeil sings with a genuine Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott & Mickey Newbury flavor. His tone, as he sings is reminiscent of the finest these men ever recorded. Songwriting-wise it definitely falls into the Mickey Newbury school. Newbury — famous for many highly personal lyrics and riveting melodies (“An American Trilogy,” “She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye,” and “Just Dropped In– To See What Condition My Condition Was In”).

Bassist Michele Law’s gentle female vocal in the background is that little dab of sugar in the coffee. The acoustic guitar plays together with the mandolin in uniformity and it’s absorbing. There are moments even the loveliest melodies of Tim Hardin come to mind. Songs like “Misty Roses,” Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep,” and the classics “If I Were a Carpenter,” “Reason to Believe” & “The Lady Came from Baltimore.”  Yeah…I think Glen has that kind of songwriting ability.

Another Glen MacNeil original is “So Much Love” and he continues in his Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Tom Paxton & Mickey Newbury tradition. This is not a bad thing. There is a wealth of style between those men and as I mentioned earlier — if you can inject your own flicker of personality into the lyrics and music you may have found your place. Glen MacNeil is holding a winning card in this style of music.

“Miracle of Spring” is beautiful. More mandolin (John Law) and acoustic guitar interplay. With this tune though, I hear some shades of the singer-songwriter Greg Trooper (“I Can’t Search for You Anymore”) and while Greg doesn’t have the range of Harry Nilsson he does have the gift of melody that Harry had – without the eccentrics. He follows this effort with another glittering melody in “Celtic Pride,” that features a haunting, mournful J.P. Cormier fiddle. The melody redeems the sadness of the song and MacNeil’s vocals are optimistic and warm. With a steady current of acoustic and resonator guitars that weave through each other and with one of Glen MacNeil’s finest vocals in “Losing Light,” – the weightless sound is – powerful.

Yes, sounds like a contradiction — but it’s not. The melody is weightless and the performance: impeccable. But there is a strength here. Simple lyrics written and applied with a cleverness than gives them muscle. It still pecks away at a little James Taylor essentials and nuances, but it’s mixed with a Warren Zevon balladeer edge. That’s a combination isn’t it?

MacNeil has mastered the art of sewing melodies and perceptive lyrics to a performance presentation that has a wool-blend texture. Nothing stingy, (controversial) or soft, (pop-folk) but, comfortable in any weather music. Yes, that’s it. Glen MacNeil’s music is airy, comfortable and satisfying.  

“The Hero,” is actually spare, but the lyrics support the entire song. This encompasses the chord progression of James Scott Skinner’s — “Hector the Hero”. It’s about as powerful as John Lennon’s “Imagine” in some respects. The lyrical progression and acoustic guitar are magical and this is obviously written not to everyone – but someone.

Songwriting can take on such an other-worldly existence at times when it transcends words and music and becomes something expressed from the heart and soul. This album is just that, and this song alone confirms it. 

The only other album I ever heard that does this effectively, emotionally and powerfully is Cindy Bullen’s profound album “Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth,” which was inspired by the 1996 cancer death of Cindy’s 11-year old daughter Jessie. This was an incredible album of songs that were sung to Jessie. To this day, I can’t listen to it without getting choked up. In one tune — the recording of “As Long as You Love,” Cindy wasn’t getting it vocally on the chorus. The emotion wasn’t right; the chorus didn’t feel finished. Something was missing. And then, by a miracle, her older daughter recited the necessary words and the song’s impact was like a hammer hitting an anvil in the heart. A milestone of an album – helped along for Cindy by many famous artists. It’s become an album of healing, that is often referred to as music — in the memory of those we loved and lost.

Well…this album by Glen MacNeil approaches that respectful degree, that level and wavelength. Giving words to feelings. I believe he succeeded.

The final track “Up On High,” displays electric guitar by Stuart Cameron. It’s a close mike-recording that reminds me, not in vocal tone, but intimacy of vocal – the late, prolific Scottish singer-songwriter Jackie Leven and British-born Canadian Paul Hyde. Both write intensely beautiful songs that are up-close and personal. Hyde’s example would be his “I Miss My Mind The Most” and Leven’s would be “Young Male Suicide,” which even with a dark title like that is melodically beautiful. (Available on YouTube, if you wish to sample these). 

They always recorded tunes that were similar in style: highly polished, personal touch and intense. Glen knows how to pull those emotional strings as well. He manages to do it in such a way, that as a listener, you welcome it. Is he yet in Hyde’s or Leven’s league? He’s getting closer. 

The album was produced by John Law at Rebel Cowboy Music Studios.

The cover art shows a young Glen MacNeil playing his toy guitar in the kitchen seated beside his acoustic guitar swinging Dad. My being a child of the 50’s, and judging from the photo’s color and linoleum floor – I would say the image was taken in the early 60’s. Maybe I’m wrong…but, Dad was a cool dude. (Press infor states that he passed away about 15 years ago, and was a respected singer-guitarist in the Cape Breton area of Canada). I love those boots, button down blue shirt and how he is looking at his son. Pride I think they call it. 

Just like the effort made on this album so many years later.  

Website: http://glensongs.com/Glen_MacNeil/Glensongs.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Glen-MacNeil-161139350635536/

ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/glenmacneil

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review / commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of No Depression. All photography is owned by the respective photographers and is their copyrighted image; credited where photographer’s name was known & being used here solely as reference and will be removed on request. YouTube images are standard YouTube license.

John Apice / No Depression / July 2016