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Moving Forward Without Losing Roots
Three years after his EMI debut, 'Of Your Son', Bruce Guthro is back. He's back and he's changed.
If you've already picked up a copy of his latest album, titled simply 'Guthro', you'll know what I'm talking about. Gone from this album is the quiet, simple acoustic feel. With the exception of a few tracks, Bruce takes the opportunity to rock out.
On a whole, 'Guthro' is more pop and produced than 'Of Your Son'. With songwriting occurring in over a dozen cities and working with four different producers, Bruce really achieves an eclectic sound without deviating too far from his acoustic storytelling roots.
Even though he has not been seen too much in Canada in the last year or two, Bruce Guthro has been keeping busy. He has been doing double duty as a solo artist in Canada and also as the lead singer with Runrig, a long-established Scottish band. Runrig recently released a new CD of their own and completed a successful 6 week tour of Europe with favourite Newfoundland sons, Great Big Sea, acting as the opening act.
The first single, 'Disappear', is a very electric sounding, radio friendly pop song unlike most of Bruce's previous singles. It explores the different ways to say 'I love you' without actually saying the words.
The song is currently enjoying heavy radio play in the Maritimes.
Even with the change in direction on 'Guthro', there are still a few songs that harken back to a simpler style.
'Songsmith' is one such song. Bruce calls it "an ode to geniuses with lost souls." It is through songs like this that has shown his talent to say what all have felt but few can express.
'Guthro' gives a good indication of Bruce's abilities as a storyteller but it is his live show that truly showcases his talents. The audience is regularly told stories of the inspiration behind certain songs. This storytelling, along with his striking voice allow him to connect to the audience on a different level from most performers.
'Guthro' also contains the song sequel to 'Falling', a fan favourite from Of Your Son. 'Falling' tells the story of a father who's been gone 20 years and is now reaching out to his son. Bruce wanted to chance to tell the story from the son's point of view and 'Don't Go' does so beautifully. A songwriter could hope to write one song as moving as 'Falling' in a career but for a musician to write two such songs is nothing short of a great accomplishment.
'Guthro' is currently available in stores nationwide.
