Critiques CD: Patrick Watson | Adventures in your own Backyard

Local musician and winner of the 2007 Polaris Prize, Patrick Watson gives his whimsical songwriting style a kick of drama for his fourth album. The 12 songs, swathed in resonant piano, reverberant guitaring and orchestral violin arrangements are peppered with intriguing takes on Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western scores. The album’s strongest moment, “Lighthouse” opens with seraphic piano and Watson’s airy vocals, building up to a guitar and brass excursion. The combination of Watson’s typically floaty vocals and instrumentation with the evocative cinematic aesthetic lends something especially powerful to his already impressive repertoire.