529

If you were asked to describe the music of Chad Price’s self-titled sophomore album in three words, those words might just be, “grown folk music”…at least that’s how the artist himself answers the question of what his music has evolved into since his first release in 2012: “The music I’m making now has a maturity and sophistication about it that I haven’t had before. I’ve arrived at a place where I feel incredibly at home and at peace musically. I’m not searching for my voice. I’ve found it on this album.”

On the new album, it is evident that the guitar-toting, velvety-voiced singer-songwriter has evolved out of his artistic adolescence and flourished into musical maturity.

The twelve song album boasts Price’s trademark soul-stirring and honest songwriting that has a cunning ability to cut to the core of its listeners almost surgically. Price also shows off his highly-developed penchant for guitar playing, as he shines just as brightly on the electric guitar, pulling off simmering solos in “Rise & Fall” and “Ragged Bones”, as he does on his more traditionally wielded acoustic. Price has proven on this album that he is not an artist that is content to sit still and continue to do the same old thing. As both artist and co-producer on the self-titled album, Price has evolved into a musical powerhouse who has brought his own concoction of r&b, soul, blues, and folk to the party that is yet to be heard, “…and I must say it suits him well”, in the words of music journalist and Canadian Beats creator Jenna Melanson.

Since 2011, Price has been carefully honing his craft on stages throughout Canada and the US earning a reputation as an ‘artist to watch’. He’s played hundreds of shows, received multiple featured song placements on national TV, recorded radio charting songs, won and been nominated for multiple music awards, and has shared the stage with the likes of Walk Off The Earth, Lights, Tyler Shaw, Jocelyn Alice, and many others. During this time of growth, Price tirelessly refined his songwriting skills and slowly penned the songs that would eventually culminate in his second full-length album “Chad Price”. As album producer Da-Rell Clifton explains, “Chad is a lyrical ninja. He somehow breaks down your inner walls and kicks you right in the soul with his words before you even have a chance to figure out what happened. Even when you’re ready for it, it still happens”. Clifton continues, “Chad is one of the most talented songwriters and vocalists I’ve had the pleasure of working with”.

Much of the creative direction on this album is due to producer Da-Rell Clifton, who brought a wealth of creative vision, as well as artistic and technical expertise to the project: “Da-Rell has a way of bringing the most out in a song. He finesses things to the point where they are just right for what each song calls for. He’s a master of subtlety and deserves a tonne of credit for this record’s overall sound”, explains Price. Clifton’s experience as a seasoned producer, drummer, and engineer can be heard and felt throughout the album, especially when you experience the raw grit of “Not Done Being Wrong”, or the infectious percussive mastery and groove on “You Don’t Know”.

On his second full-length effort, the soulful crooner gets up close and personal in order to successfully transport the listener through a mosaic of musical worlds with sincerity and soul. Whether it’s a deeply introspective and hard-hitting song like “Ragged Bones”, or a jaunty southern-soul track like “Old Fashioned”, as a listener, you find
yourself completely disarmed by the emotional transparency and unconventionally raw musical aesthetic as you willingly take this musical journey with Price. This album backs away from the illusory studio-made lustre and instead prides itself on the sometimes imperfect, yet beautifully real and often forgotten act of musicians playing their instruments and playing them well. Authenticity is something that is written into the DNA of this album and lives in each and every song: “ His lyrics, voice and instruments feel mere feet away and his emotions are almost tangible” (Samah Ali – The Western Gazette ).

Now that these songs are forever crystallized on the album, Price is taking them with him on the road in 2017: “They finally need to go have a life on their own outside of my own head. Once they are out in the world, they belong to everyone, not me anymore. That’s one of the greatest gifts and privileges that artists get to have”. Price’s only aim now is to share the music he has so carefully created with whoever will listen, “…and listen you must” (Phil Regalado, Ohestee ).

Folk punk/blues from Asbury Park, NJ

The Creepshop/Organ Thieves/ United Snakes