SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAN MANGAN – NATURAL LIGHT

DAN MANGAN
NATURAL LIGHT
ARTS & CRAFTS

Dan Mangan’s new album Natural Light is really something. Touted as being a return to his folkie, singer-songwriter roots, it is a work of simple beauty. Recorded with bandmates Jason Haberman, Mike O’Brien and Don Kerr in Haberman’s southern Ontario cottage (with no expectations as to the outcome), Mangan and company have given us a special collection of songs.

With trust and intuition as their guides, the four musicians recorded the album’s 13 songs live off the floor during the cottage sessions, with overdubs done later. There is a relaxed, flowing intimacy to these songs, and a simplicity of presentation that Mangan had got away from in his past few studio albums. The musicianship and production here are top notch. Natural Light is the work of musical friends who know each other’s moves well and create a cohesive work with seemingly effortless performances.

The album’s tone and mood are set right from the opening track, a song of advice from a father to his sons, called “It Might Be Raining”. Starting slowly, with solo acoustic guitar and Mangan’s earnest and doleful voice, the tempo increases and the instrumentation gradually fills the space. The band serves the song well, playing with taste and sensitivity.

The album starts strong, and Mangan and band keep delivering throughout. From the easy groove of “Diminishing Returns” (which evokes acoustic folk/pop from the early 1970s), to the lilting, almost Cohen-esque “No Such Thing As Wasted Love”, and the strange and beautiful “My Dreams Are Getting Weirder” – Mangan demonstrates great variety in his songwriting. For their part, Haberman, O’Brien, and Kerr play with creativity and deftness, serving to both elevate the songs, and to keep them grounded, and true to themselves.

There are many shining moments on Natural Light, with songs whose weight reflects the wisdom of Mangan at this stage of life, but which are also presented by this band with newfound freshness. This album is a winner, and will no doubt delight both neophyte and die-hard fans alike.

Artist Links