Mitchell, Kim: The Big Fantasize

Kim Mitchell should be a name familiar to many, a great songwriter and blistering guitarist, Mitchell spent the 70’s leading Max Webster through a number of gold and platinum records in Canada, but remained mostly unknown here in the states. His solo career was even more successful in terms of sales in his native country, and yet again he failed to make his mark in the US. This is a head scratcher for me, as his songs are as catchy as you can get, filled with hooks, and at the same time, he rocks with authority and intensity if you’ve ever seen him live.

The Big Fantasize is his first album in 13 years, although he has continued to play live shows, and had his own radio show on Q107 out of Toronto for years. The Big Fantasize is a wonderful record filled with great melodies and songs. Opening with the sublime “Red Horizon�, it’s an odd but effective opener, Mitchell’s vulnerable vocal over acoustic guitar and some orchestration. The second single “2Up2Bdown� is a great summertime type rocker. “Summer Lovers Autumn Wine� is a song of longing with another convincing Mitchell vocal, with a hook filled chorus and tasty guitar solo. “Wishes� was the first song released, and how this song did not zoom up the charts is beyond me, it’s absolutely gorgeous. “Georgian Bay� is a piano led shuffle that will have your head bobbing. There is a great atmosphere created in the country tinged “Montgomery�, I could go on, but I feel like Kim really has his mojo working on this album, a lot of diversity, and yet all the songs fit. The album proper closes with “Time to Stay� leading with acoustic guitar, and as with most of the tracks; melodies galore to be found. 2020 proved to be a banner year for Mitchell, as he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, a well-deserved honor. Fans will appreciate a few bonus live tracks including the Max Webster classic “Paradise Skies�. It seems The Big Fantasize has Kim in a reflective mood, but the songs and lyrics hit home a home run with me. Mitchell’s guitar is toned down a bit, but I think fans will love this album once they give it a chance. I hope Kim continues to write and record, and this won’t be the last we hear from him.

Track Listing

1. Red Horizon (3:55)
2. 2up2Bdown (3:54)
3. Summer Lovers Autumn Wine (5:12)
4. Wishes (4:06)
5. Georgian Bay (4:12)
6. Best I Never Had (5:12)
7. Montgomery (5:00)
8. Old Marriage Waltz (4:00)
9. Time To Stay (4:35)
10. Lager and Ale [live bonus track] (4:13)
11. Rocklandwonderland [live bonus track] (6:17)
12. Paradise Skies [live bonus track] (4:50)
13. All We Are [live bonus track] (8:14)

Added: July 4th 2021
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 1064
Language: english

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