Canadian contemporary folk-rocker Howard Gladstone has issued “The Promise” for blue skies ahead with the story-rich release of his new single and anticipated album of the same name — both available now.
His sixth album release, this resonant collection of nine songs are contemporary yet highly personal reflections of the singer/songwriter’s, and feature some of his most thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics to date. Rich with allusive language and poignant moments of pure poetry throughout, The Promise and its layered lyrics are compellingly matched by Gladstone’s intimate and summoning vocal style.
This is a collection of work with a clear narrative arc: it begins at a place of shining hopes, dreams and memories in ‘Woodstock Fifty’ but, in the end, leaves at a crucial, critical juncture focusing attention on the climate crisis in ‘Crossroads’ where those dreams and hopes are in peril.
Between these, there are many interesting stops — both utopian and dystopian — along the way, including examining the fate of exiles in “Birds of Spain,” visiting the south seas in “Paradise, Passing Through,” or waltzing while the empire crumbles in “It All Falls Down.”
“The title song ‘The Promise’ lets us know that for every stormy sky, there’s one of blue, while ‘Someday’ hints at a better tomorrow,” Gladstone says.
Kevin Laliberte (guitar), Russ Boswell (bass), Marito Marques (drums) accompany Gladstone on “Paradise, Passing Through,” as well as six of the album’s nine songs. Laura Fernandez and Julie Gladstone add background vocals, and Bob Cohen plays guitar/bass on three of the folkier songs on The Promise.
The Promise is available now.
The Promise Track Listing:
Woodstock Fifty
Paradise, Passing Through
Birds of Spain
Someday
The Promise
Tell Me Now
There Is Only Love
It All Falls Down
Crossroads
