Séan McCann – Son of a Sailor
As a follow up to last year’s release, Lullabies
for Bloodshot Eyes, Great
Big Sea’s
Séan McCann returns with the release of his second solo effort, Son of a
Sailor, on February 8, 2011.
Having grown up in Newfoundland and spending nearly 18
years touring with the band, it’s not difficult to hear the musical and
maritime influences on songs like “Rather Be a Sailor” and the title
track. Drawing inspiration from the road, family, home, love and longing,
Son of a Sailor provides the listener with a collection of first person
narratives.
Whether it’s told from a barstool or a battlefield,
each track invites the listener to briefly live in the life of another. “The
Reply (the ballad of John and Mary)” tells a heartfelt love story that explores
a love affair lasting over decades and “Soldier’s Song” profiles a soldier at
war, longing to get home to his or her family. More personal moments
include the title track, which honours Séan’s family roots in the Newfoundland
fishery.
Accompanying the captivating lyrics, the album is
filled with dynamic instrumentation and lush background vocals provided by
seasoned players, including Boyd MacNeil of the Barra MacNeil’s, Figgy Duff's
Kelly Russell, and his Great
Big Sea
bandmates. With several of the 10 album tracks recorded in the back lounge
of a tour bus, it’s not hard to imagine the driver turning down the radio and
tuning in to the first passes of “Back to You”.
Séan writes:
The writing of songs has become a bit of a distraction
for me of late. Long nights on the road mated with extended periods of time off
have confused my Gemini mind sufficiently to convince it that poetry melting
into melody can make sense of my world. As my parents get older and my children
grow, I find myself more and more seeking solace in song. It is a safe place I
can go to work out problems and wish away unwanted emotions. Over the past year
these ten "scenarios" have become my closest companions. Like loyal
dogs they walk with me over life's hills and valleys and help me remember that
I am never really alone.
If you listen closely, you may find a new friend here.
Songwriting has become my method of self preservation.
It has given me a reason to remain focused in an increasingly distracted world.
Life is short and Truth is relative. Whether we be Soldiers or Lovers, Sailors
or Sons, in the end we will all be remembered by the stories we leave
behind......and I am still trying to tell some good ones.