Let me start off by saying that Dallas Green deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. The amount of couples I know where the boyfriend listens to Alexisonfire and the girlfriend listens to City and Colour is astounding. It’s a dynamic where a mix of the two makes car rides so much easier. He is on many a girlfriend’s hall pass list, while the boyfriend wouldn’t even complain. Considering the amount of peace work he’s done in the field of human relationships, it’s astounding that he keeps giving us albums about the fracturing of human relationships, but here we are again with The Love Still Held Me Near.
My opinions on this album are as complex as some of the lyrics. I’ll try to put this simply, if you’re a fan who knows the whole catalog by heart, you’re gonna eat this up. If you’re a casual fan who knows the singles, you’re gonna love the singles. But this album isn’t going to make any new fans.
My Problem with City and Colour is that every album has two songs that break the mould, pump things up a bit and pull you in. This album is no different. “Underground” stands out as a funky little number that can sustain some solid radio play and get you bopping your head. “Fucked It Up also turns up the tempo and has a cool, if not brief little solo using one of those guitars that use electricity. I’ll throw “Meant to Be” in that bin too, as it explores some very interesting sonic landscapes.
After that, the rest kinda all just blends into the City and Colour formula. Here’s some acoustic songs with a bluegrassy twang, a slow beat, and some truly haunting and gutwrenching vocals. And there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s all expertly executed to soul-shaking results. There are fans who pour over every lyric and ask themselves longingly, “who hurt you Dallas? Point them out to me so I may shame them.” And it’s here again. Chilling examinations on loss of love and life, the fragility of human relationships and the human body. An hour of self-therapy that’s more honest and vulnerable than I’ll ever have the courage to be to a mass audience.
But if you’re not the type to pour over the lyrics and feel along with Dallas, after those three songs, you may find yourself asking, “have I heard this one before?” I know you own other guitars Dallas, and I know you are quite adept with them. I know you can experiment with sound. Even Mumford & Sons, after two albums, went “bloody hell mates, should we plug in our guitars?”
So I’m left debating how to rank this. As a standalone album, it’s an easy 9/10. But if I’m examining it as part of a catolog of music, that score drops off because it doesn’t really advance the music. The courage in the lyrics isn’t really mirrored in the music.
Listen to the French Fox remix of Fragile Bird and see how versatile the sound could be. I’m not saying go electro, maybe a little more rock, maybe try going full folk, I don’t care, just experiment. Go listen to the gold standard of Canadian rocker solo albums, David Usher’s Little Songs. It wouldn’t be so frustrating if I didn’t know he was capable of so many things. City and Colour is a great project, but I’d love to see it evolve and try something new.
And if the intent is just to put out hour-long therapy sessions, then great. You have a built-in audience for that. But I know there’s more desire there because every album has those songs that go out of the box, and they’re the ones put out as singles.
7/10 Traffic Cones.
Review by Richard Brunette
