Caroline Marie Brooks: Night Drive
Pure vocals, reflective lyrics, and elite accompanists make this shine.
By Kerry Doole
Caroline Marie Brooks - Night Drive (Outside Music): Best known as one-third of much-loved folk combo The Good Lovelies, this Toronto-based singer/songwriter is readying the release of her debut solo album, Everything at the Same Time, on Sept, 24.
An advance single, Night Drive certainly fuels anticipation, as it is a lovely tune. Gentle and reflective, it showcases Brooks' pure and airy voice, and benefits from an A-list of players including Jim Bryson (who co-produced and recorded the album), Christine Bougie, Drew Jurecka, Mark Mariash, Susan Passmore, and Joshua Van Tassel.
In a press release, Brooks explains that "Last summer I was driving in Northern Ontario, listening to songs written by my friends and revelling in being truly alone after months of lockdown with my family, Half the sky was lit up with lighting in clouds and the other half full of stars. This unlikely combination drew me in; I always feel a duality in moments like this, of feeling both small and insignificant, and part of something larger, part of some great plan."
She adds that "If I had to pick a lyric from Night Drive that really encapsulates the feeling I was trying to convey in the song, it would be: “I am so light and so heavy/I am forever, I am temporary.” We exist temporarily on this beautiful planet, and that can often feel heavy but also so incredibly magical."
We are partial to these lines: "I play songs written by my friends, To keep me left of the white line, I am one of them, Less eloquent but still trying." She is being overly modest, given the strength of this song.
The full album is described as "a celebration of Brooks' 40th year on this earth and was made possible because of her forced time off the road. Her farm and natural spaces juxtaposed with being stuck in the city heavily influenced the new material."
Of note: Brooks grew up in Whitby, ON, singing in a family band and a sister duo called Brooks Sisters.
Solo shows are TBA, while The Good Lovelies have a Sept. 26 show at Headwaters Farm, Cobourg.
Links
Publicity: Beth Cavanagh, What's the Story?
Shauna de Cartier
Helen Britton
Matt Maw