After years of relentless behind-the-scenes support of Winnipeg’s blues and roots scene, playing alongside the likes of Big Dave MacLean, The Perpetrators, and Romi Mayes, singer/songwriter/guitarist/drummer Chris Carmichael has finally released his first solo album. Its tour de force of alt-country chanties sees Carmichael playing all the instruments, save for a little help from pedal steel player Bill Western on the melancholic Bitter Till the End and backing vocals from Joanna Miller and Romi Mayes on a couple of tracks. Right from the opening track, Nowhere, you can tell the album is going somewhere and right from the start it’s strong and doesn’t falter. This long-awaited solo record from one of Winnipeg’s most sought after session players is a welcome addition to the city’s country scene.

Published in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 19, 2009)