Secondathallam

You think ANDRE ETHIER is just the howling leader of that gang of rowdy rock'n'rollers who travel under the Deadly Snakes' flag? Well, you've got another thing coming, and it arrives in the form of Ethier's new solo album, secondathallam. It's the second solo record Ethier has recorded at Toronto's east end Hallam Music studio, and once again, his musical foil is longtime friend Christopher Sandes, who handles many of the instruments, other than Ethier's acoustic guitar and the rhythm section provided by Pickles and Price (Andrew Gunn and Matthew Carlson of the Snakes). Secondathallam feels like exactly that: like a loose, intimate collaboration between friends. The songs are arranged in the style of the great, '70s-style, confessional singer-songwriter albums. They're all wrapped in warm tones, with Sandes' piano at the fore and Ethier's singing naked and honest. Coloured by horns and double bass, it sounds like an acoustic Sunday afternoon jam session between players who've been around long enough to learn that there's more to love than flowers and sweet nothings.