THE KEY FRAMES are a rootsy Canadian band doing good things in a sensible self-directed way, avoiding the intermediaries of pluggers, press agents and labels. They have a decent album here that deserves a listen.
Guitarist Rob Webster and banjo player Theo Edmands are the core, with most songs written by Webster. Dan Schwartz and Ryan Higgins are the rhythm section and Brian Passmore adds more guitar. The sound is an open and free-wheeling Americana, recorded dry and simple. There's nothing showy about the vocals or harmonies, but they do the job well.
I really enjoyed the mournful country feel on the very convincing "Can't Kiss You Again". I wasn't so sure about the less authoritative "Weren't We The Ones". Closing track "A Light Is Gonna Shine" takes some chances and turns out pretty well. The collection of 11 songs is a very decent live set.
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My feeling is that while the album has lot of charm, (it's always good to hear a banjo) the band haven't yet written a killer song that would turn this nourishingly simple music into something that attracted and deserved lots of widespread attention.
www.thekeyframes.com
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