Sunhearth - Windsway (1980)

 


















Highly talented Canadian male/female outfit whose custom album excels at a progressive hippie folk-rock style worthy of labels like Flying Fish or Rounder. Just a glance over the instruments in the credits - fiddle, banjo, cello, mandolin, dulcimer, flute, recorder - and you can tell these people are gonna be on the folksy side. All that plus the usual components (acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, piano, organ), plus a few “huh?” items (Hawaiian windbell, lapslaps, glass chimes, fogelschwantz, over-tones). Musically they’re quite diverse, including some Scots-Irish folk influences on ‘Promenade’, ‘Coming In The Clouds’, the Richard Thompson-ish ‘You’ve Given Yourself’ and the instrumental title track. ‘Over Waves’, ‘Yesterday, Today, Forever’ and ‘Think On These Things’ are all lovely acoustic ballads with female vocals (the latter also includes a jazzy flute and electric guitar interlude). Blues and bluegrass are sampled for Love Song’s ‘Front Seat Back Seat’, the album’s only cover tune (although three songs are noted as having been adapted from traditional melodies). Moving electric guitar and pedal steel solos embrace ‘Stone To Gold’, a graceful country rock excursion ala The Eagles or America. ‘Lover And Friend’ is a strong nearly eight-minute progressive track that begins as a piano ballad before building to a harder rock edge that includes beautiful use of electric violin. From St. Catharines, Ontario. Attractive tree cover painting. A really great record - some of the most skillful, creative and artistic folk sounds I’ve heard. (Ken Scott - Archivist)

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