Mike Plume Band – Song & Dance, Man

These songs ring out more than just “the love between a brother and a sister, all over this land,” as some folkie once sang. If I had a hammer, I would use it to nail the door shut on indifferent music masquerading as heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll, a costume ball that Mike Plume need not attend.

From the opening fusillade of “Rattle The Cage” to the “Silver Lining” at the end of this musical cloudburst, there’s plenty to like about this Canadian band. Like Drivin N’ Cryin, they can kick out the jams as effortlessly as they kick up a two-step tune. Fellow countryman Fred Eaglesmith is an obvious reference point for the creepy-sounding “If There Ever Was A Fool”, while “Something To Say” recalls the roadhouse ethic of Jack Ingram.

The songs tend to flow thematically, as in the segue between “Simplify” and “Rich Man”. In the former, Plume sings, “Simplify is all you need to know/Simplify and the further you’ll go.” In the latter, he relates a prodigal-son story that lacks the biblical happy ending: “I had more money than I thought I’d ever spend/In what seemed to be a weekend/I just threw it all right out into the wind.” Sounds like his characters could use some advice from each other