By: Sean Carsley September 12th, 2013
Aidan Ridgway backs solid writing with mature vocals on his debut album Simple Things For Simple Minds. The best quality of Ridgway is the insightful writing. The term “wise beyond his years” can be applied here. The first track, “Anagrams”, clocking in at 7:46, carries its weight not only through its acoustic arrangement, but its haunting backing vocal (supplied by Olivia Morton). “Another Day in Nowhere” is reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” but has a more anxious rhythm and is filled with a dirty guitar and a quiet anger. This song alone makes the album worth listening to.
A funky, fun jazz beat backs “Another Side of Loneliness” that once again makes you nod your head in time. But the song remains grounded because of his timbre. Some tracks have a repetitive coffee house feel, but it’s easy to compare him with a young Dallas Green or Gord Downie for the lyrics alone. One can only hope that Aidan Ridgway will take the best parts of his debut and continue producing.
Aidan Ridgway – Simple Things For Simple Minds
{http://soundcloud.com/aidanridgway/sets/simple-things-for-simple-minds}
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