City and Colour - LittleHell

Thu 16th Jun, 2011 in Music Reviews

Dallas Green is incredibly skilled as both a hardcore entertainer as well as on of the finest intimate, acoustic artists you can find around. Of course, under the moniker of City and Colour, Green manages to perfectly encapsulate the intimacy of an acoustic recording whilst satisfying his powerful background being a vocalist of Alexisonfire. There are occasions however that it is almost impossible to recognise any hard rock within his musical style as he encapsulates the characteristics of both soul and folk perfectly into his acoustic rock releases.

City and Colour have created a true slice of heaven with Little Hell and it is by far his most enjoyable and commercially accessible recording that has been released, scoring hit tracks and placing hidden gems throughout the 47-minute long escape.

It’s also quite difficult to identify the key tracks from the list of eleven compositions, as they all contain elements of brilliance. Some personal favourites include Grand Optimist, Natural Disaster, Silver and Gold as well as Fragile Bird, each prevailing as warm and fulfilling experiences, each with a unique and enjoyable tale to tell.

Green’s talents as a singer-songwriter are really what is on show within this project, his lyrics contain plentiful depth and despite his rise to fame, Green remains down to earth and employs modesty within his lyrics, as shown within Grand Optimist where he describes himself as “like a jack of all trades, but a master of none.” The husky vocals that Green possesses contain a beautiful texture that is contrasted well by smooth guitar chords and the occasional sustained piano and help add to the mood and ambiance that was intended.

What makes Little Hell stand out from the other two album releases from City and Colour is the post-production work. This album has been mastered to near perfection, with crystal clear vocals and extra elements such as reverberation and multi-layered harmonies to help create a much more involving album than the last few, which mostly consisted of purely Green with a guitar.

Little Hell is yet another amazing release from Dallas Green and if you are yet to hear any City and Colour records this is by far the album to use as an introduction. A true contender for the ‘best of 2011’ lists that will be published by the end of the year.