Over 20 years in and acclaimed Canadian blues singer-songwriter, André Bisson, is still taking us on meaningful journeys with his songs, and his latest “Dusty Albums” is a walk-through of all the memories we've accumulated so far in life.
This reminiscence, however, is tainted with the sadness of missed opportunities and the thought of a life that could have been. Memories are one of the things we have of the life we lived, and in “Dusty Albums,” Bisson sings of “A past impossible to please yet now full of honesty.” Every line of the song somehow feels like listening to a thousand stories at once – “Spent my youth in a naive waste, little time to contemplate.”
The mid-tempo song derives strong influences from folk and country, as it talks about the way our perspective may come to change later in life, so much so that we may even start to regret certain decisions we once gloried in.
“Dusty Albums” is the follow-up to “Shake,” – a saxophone-driven song that reminds us to give care to those who need it and to accept it from others when we need it. Both singles are from Bisson's upcoming 10th studio album *Latchford, which saw him write, arrange and produce eleven tracks for the project . If you ask him what Latchford's main theme is, he'd tell you that it is “perspective.” He'll also quote an introspective verse from Shakespeare that says, “I cried when I had no shoes, but I stopped crying when I saw a man without legs.”
When he's not picking up awards for his amazing songs, like winning Song of Year Award at the International Song Competition from Blues & Roots Radio in 2022, he's confidently performing on stage with a band that can range from 6 to 20 people, or writing the next song that will touch our hearts.
For the album, Bisson, in addition to writing and producing, sang all the lead vocals, played all the electric and acoustic guitars, along with some percussion and harmonica. Though it may look like he's a one-man songwriting and producing machine, he does employ the talents of others to help heighten the emotional range in his music. Joining him are Jesse O’Brien on piano and organ, Mike Rowell on bass guitar, Keagan Early on drums, Pat Carey on tenor and bari saxophone, Shawn Moody on trumpet/flugelhorn, Loretta Hale on trumpet and cello, Rob Somerville on trombone, Paul Barna on violin/viola, Quisha Wint and Selena Evangeline on backing vocals and Dan Rodrigues on additional piano. His eclectic use of different instruments is a constant joy to fans.
Bisson is a firm believer that we can improve our situation when we change our outlook on it and wants to pass this message on through Latchford – out September 15, 2023.
“Realizing that when we control our thoughts, we have full control of our lives, our outlook on life, and our reality.”
Since getting his first taste of what it feels like to perform live at the tender age of 15, Bisson has made it his priority to put on thrilling shows that will make fans lose themselves in the act.
Upcoming tour dates
August 26, 2023 - Periscope Playhouse - Port Burwell, ON
November 3, 2023 – Westdale Theatre – Hamilton, ON
November 10, 2023 – Aeolian Hall – London, ON
November 25, 2023 – River Run Centre – Guelph, ON
April 27, 2024 – Market Hall – Peterborough, ON
