I Love the Rain
Len Osland
Roots North Records
2001
7 tracks
Manitoba native Len Osland has been writing and performing his songs for close to three decades. In Osland's writing and in his performance, that experience is apparent. Osland writes clean, straightforward music and simple, tightly scripted lyrics that reveal chapters of his characters' lives. The songs on I Love the Rain are country-influenced, folk-flavoured gems that show the polish only a journeyman can give. Still, I'm left wondering if that is enough.
Although Osland was raised in northern Manitoba and spent a good portion of his adult life in Canada's Yukon Territory, the music on this release has a decidedly urban MOR pop feel. Rather than hit material, it's more the sort of thing that would show up on the quieter FM stations or as fill on some rambling program on C.B.C. radio. The closest comparison I can come up with is ome of the quieter music of John Denver, although this connnection is tenuous at best.
While the overall sound of these songs is of lightweight pop music and at least one song leans toward rock and roll, and although I think Osland probably thinks of himself as a folk artist, I can't help but think of this as country music. It's not hillbilly music or cowboy music, but more the sort of urban country that grew out of Fifties artists like Eddy Arnold and Ray Price and reached its peak on the pop charts of the mid-Sixties.
This is safe music that doesn't take a whole lot of risks. Like a comfy old couch, it's music the listener can just settle back into and relax. The stories are like that too. These are simple tales of everyday people that seem more reminiscences than history. They have enough detail to draw the listener comfortably in but not enough to give them any real depth or feeling. These lyrics are not the poetry of literature but rather concisely written tales for a quiet sunset jam on the front verandah.
Although these songs were recorded at studios in Winnipeg and Whitehorse, there is a consistency in the sound that gives credit to Osland's experience and his oversight of the project. The recording quality is clean and the sound is full-bodied with clear definition of every instrument and Osland's vocals.
Len Osland has a sweet voice that flows smoothly over the music and brings his lyrics to life. Like his countrified lyrics, his voice often takes on a distinct sound of the pop-country singer, giving the songs a comfortable homey sense.
While all of these songs are well-written, well-performed, and well-produced, I personally prefer the three that are more up-tempo. It is these songs that bring life to the whole set and begin to break out of the C.B.C. mold, if only a little bit.
"Christina" is a jumpy little love song reminiscent of some of the old rockabilly numbers or the pop-rock epitomized by artists like Chuck Berry. There are lots of examples of this sort of sound in country music but, for some reason, the one that pops to mind is The OakRidge Boys' quirky "Elvira." With the most energy of any song on this release, "Christina" is good rock and roll spiced with just a bit of citified country humour.
"Time for Rest" isn't exactly up-tempo but, compared to some of the other songs on this release, it sounds like it is. There's some peppy piano in the background that, along with a solid bass line, injects this song with a certain vitality it might not otherwise have.
"Another Lifetime" is the most country sounding song on this release, featuring some fine picking that gives an almost bluegrass ambience. When Bob Hamilton's mandolin comes in, the whole song brightens and becomes more interesting. The second fastest song on this release, this is also the shortest. The listener is left wanting to hear more.
The high quality of the writing, musicianship, and production on I Love the Rain is undeniable. The songs on this release make pleasant listening, but I find nothing in them that makes them particularly memorable. What's missing is that indefinable spark that makes a song more than just words and music, that reaches out and grabs the listener and says "remember me." If Len Osland can discover that spark and inject its fire into his songs, he will really have something.
You can also read my review of Len Osland's previous release, Salty Fingers, with his band The Lapstrakes, at Sound Bytes.
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Review written: March 30, 2005
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