“Diamonds are a dime a dozen / Take my hand / Take my hand and don’t stop running…”
We have paid casual attention to the career of Toronto-based singer-songwriter Abigail Lapell for many years now – an artist first appearing here on our pages around the time of her stunning 2017 sophomore “No Hide Nor Hair” album, and most recently, the spring of 2023 when we included “Willow,” a track taken from the critically acclaimed “Stolen Time” album, in one of our singles round-up features.
For myself personally, however, I must confess to not paying as much attention as I probably should have to the significant leaps and bounds that Abigail has racked up on her continued musical journey. I can toss out ‘so much music to cover’ excuses all day long, but I digress, and recall that it was perhaps six months ago when hearing the resurgence of “Mountain” (another cut from “Stolen Time”) in heavy rotation on the radio, that diverted my receptors towards Abigail’s recent offerings.
Commuting along a familiar stretch of highway here in central PA back in March – and tuned into one of my SiriusXM pre-set channels – the moment some distorted finger-style electric guitar rings burst through the speakers to an almost swampy, Americana beat, my senses went into high alert: “Bring me water, bring me wine / Bring me flower garlands / Will you be my valentine / Would you be my darling?”
A previously unheard tune, once the vocals broke in, I detected familiarity in the voice, but could not place it – not until glancing at the display to discover I was listening to “Rattlesnake,” and that the artist in question was none other than Abigail Lapell. I would have likely connected those dots without the aid of the visual display – eventually (so distinct is the voice) – but one thing was certain: Abigail was back, Abigail was most certainly BACK!
Rolling into April a few weeks later, it would be an otherwise mundane commute that led to another glimpse of Abigail’s new music, when “Count on Me” burst from the speakers. Leading off with some notably muted (yet dominant) drumbeats, I was surprised once more by some heavily echo-laden vocals: “Walk in the sunshine / Walk in shadow / Where I go / I know you will follow… / You can always count me in / You can always count on me.”
I quickly drew similarities to the music of Great Lake Swimmers, but was this a subconsciously drawn conclusion, or (as I later discovered), had I inadvertently detected both the names Abigail Lapell and Great Lake Swimmers on the radio display? I will unlikely recall, perhaps, but seeing this collaboration on another excellent single, well, any subliminal plans to draw my attention to Abigail’s upcoming “Anniversary” album had been firmly planted.
Visiting southern Ontario in late May, we discovered a vinyl copy of “Anniversary” in the new arrival bins at our favorite Hamilton record store, and naturally brought it home with us. Spinning the album just recently, the first (and most obvious) impression is the remarkable, meteoric rise of this artist from ‘another singer-songwriter’ to one that has fully elevated herself from the pack.
There is much more here to delight the senses – this goes beyond conventional studio polish – and digging a little deeper, soon learned that the album has been co-produced by Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers). Recorded on location at St. Mark’s Anglican Church – a 200-year-old historic building in Niagara-on-the-Lake, well, let’s face it, if you are looking outside of the box, is there anybody better to assist than Tony Dekker when it comes to sourcing unique places to record music? Churches, caves, old music halls, abandoned grain silos – you name it, Dekker’s likely already done it…
The overarching theme on “Anniversary” is one of celebrating love – through an emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows that we encounter through life. Interrogating the romantic notion of a couple of growing old together, Abigail weaves and binds these eleven new songs to track the revolving days, seasons and years that, like a quilt or other personal heirloom, celebrate and complicate the notion of eternal love. “I wanted to explore some of the contradictions within the pop culture notion of love,” Abigail recently shared. “These dichotomies of light and dark, love and loss, fleeting and eternal.”
With a stellar ensemble of musicians, this combination of location and sound draws together some stunning, sensitive orchestral arrangements that further dig into the depths of Abigail’s musical palette – making good use of antique organs, a harpsichord, and even the church piano. Lyrically, Abigail drew inspiration from a series of personal milestones – turning 40, the fifteenth anniversary of her own father’s death, and more recently, many weddings and births within her own family circle – ‘offering a fortysomething vision of love, haunted by the ghosts of departed loved ones, past relationships or even the spectre of faded youth’ (official press release).
Along with “Count on Me,” it is wonderful to find further contributions from Great Lake Swimmers at various album intervals – notably on “Flowers in my Hair,” where Tony Dekker invites his good friends Minuscule to add their choral harmonies (along with some stunning simple hand claps that give this one such an organic feel). Dekker returns to join Abigail on the album closer, “Stars,” a beautifully moving ballad that draws each of these ‘life moments’ together to a fitting and sonically stunning conclusion. “And I’ll never sing alone my love / I will never sing alone / While you’re still here beside me dear / I’ll never sing alone.”
Ultimately, for Abigail Lapell, while deconstructing the myths of romantic love, “Anniversary” emerges boldly and beautifully as an earnest celebration of commitment. Highly recommended addition to any music collection.
Photo Credit: Jen Squires
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
