Bob Egan - The Promise

Now that he's done the sensitive singer/songwriter album, Blue Rodeo's man of steel, Bob Egan, returns with an ensemble cast -- including Rodeo pals Bazil Donovan and Glenn Milchem in addition to Richard Bell, Travis Good, Lisa MacIsaac, the Be Good Tanyas and others -- to get a sense of real band interplay on The Promise. The instrumental aspect is still clearly the strength for Mr. Anything-With-Strings and while that unmistakable Gene Clark lilt shows up now and again, it seems Egan is finding his voice as a singer and lyricist. Yet the hands-off production style of Greg Keelor, which merely documents the sound of players in a room, undersells the songs. Egan and company make an NXNE appearance at the Victory Cafe Saturday (June 8) at 10 pm.