With In Between the Shadows and the Light, Doug Edmond assumes the role of an aging hipster longing for the good old days à la John Mellencamp. The musicians – which include ex-Crash Test Dummies percussionist Mitch Dorge – provide a pleasant backdrop for Edmond’s piano-laden tributes to boyhood memories and joyful paeans to love. Unfortunately, with influences that include such heavyweights as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, Edmond’s Shadows ultimately falls short of the lyrical prowess that made those artists great. For example, on Treat Me Like A Dog, the album’s most playful track, an attempt at being seductive comes off sounding like a weary middle-aged husband’s plea for peace and quiet, especially with lyrics like: “All I want to do is make you happy / Solve your problems, so we can go to bed.” The addition of saxophone on some tracks causes the album to dip temporarily into easy-listening territory. In other words, this is music your parents might listen to.

Published in Volume 64, Number 11 of The Uniter (November 12, 2009)