MIKE LYNCHÂ Road Map (Indie)
KNOWN for his jesting, Mike Lynch’s serious side is allowed room to grow on the Ontario singer-songwriter’s fifth studio recording.
Will to Survive is a stately song of perseverance and longevity. Songs About the Road is a haunting rocket ride in the driver’s seat of a big rig cruisin’ the Trans Canada, radio blaring, at 4 a.m. House Full of Mirrors possesses an unearthly beauty dictated by fiddle and pedal steel. Turn on the Evening News has Lynch delivering his most honest and heartfelt performance yet. Meanwhile, God Locked the Keys in Her Van demonstrates Lynch hasn’t lost his sense of humour.
Lynch’s writing has never been better and neither has his voice. Like the cassette tapes he sings about on the title track he offers something for fans of everyone from Blue Rodeo to John Prine. Road Map could be the album that has Mike Lynch going places.
FOUR stars
– Bruce Leperre – Winnipeg Free Press