Reviews

He's performed with Laura Vinson, k.d.. lang, Ian Tyson, and David Wilkie. His songs have been recorded by them and by Randy Travis, One Horse Blue, Crystal Plamondon, and Sneezy Waters.

MacDougall also wrote an evocative, yet unrecorded suite of seven songs for Marshall (sic)Robinson's Ghost Trains  production, which played last summer at the Fringe Festivals in Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.

Heresay is MacDougall's second solo album, following Gathering TIme in 1999.

He wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the 41-minute CD. The style is mostly country with a couple of references to MacDougall's maritime roots, a delightful change of pace with Zydeco Began, and some prairie character in Buffalo Ground, and Sid Marty's Down Along the Livingstone.

The essence of this album is a seamless weaving of MacDougall's writing, his strong but nuanced baritone voice, and his elegant piano playing, variously accompanied by accordion, cello, pedal steel guitar, plus background vocals by Billy Cowsill and the Chordinaires.

Heresay is a well-paced, well polished album with first-rate instrumentals and smart lyrics.

Recordings 

Stewart MacDougall     Heresay

Eagerly anticipated, Heresay is only MacDougall's second solo release and follows 1999's well received Gathering Time.

One trademark of MacDougall's sound is the keyboard touches he so elegantly weaves with traditional country instruments such as pedal steel. Light but integral drumming along with accordion and cello help solidify the unique but very effective western and folk aural canvases MacDougall and co-producer Colin Lay create.

MacDougall's lush voice has a familiarity - shades of Ron Hynes and Garnet Rogers - that draws the listener in. Several of the songs included on Heresay will be known to MacDougall aficionados including Zydeco Began, Buffalo Ground, and the lead off track, Away I will Be which recalls his Maritime roots.

Recorded over the last two years, included is a song written with Ian Tyson  (If Memory  Serves Me) that contains the line "If she forgives me, it won't be the first time she's believed me" that is all too telling in it's directness. Crossing Alone has an evocative percussive base providing a shuffle feel warmed by the addition of Billy Cowsill and the Chordinaires's backing "Oooohs."

Heresay is sure to satisfy both longtime fans and those fortunate enough to discover, for the first time, MacDougall's understated but significant talents.
 

The first song on the album, Away I will Be, was co-written with singer / songwriter Michael Shellard, formerly of of One Horse Blue. Other names of note dot the credits too. MacDougall combines with Ian Tyson on the superb If Memory Serves Me and another song, Stubborn Case, is a collaboration with Billy Cowsill.

Not that MacDougall has ever needed much help in creating stunning melodies and lyrics full of finely etched images. His songs can be found on discs by Tyson, Randy Travis, k.d. lang and a group he co-led in the early '90s, The Great Western Orchestra.

"I do like co-writing, though, and these collaborations show how different the process can be every time out," says MacDougall, who came west from Moncton (sic), N.B. in the late '70s. "Away I Will Be came out of me hearing Michael playing the melody on the piano, which I really liked. One thing led to another and he sent me a copy with his lyrics in the mail, and then with his approval I made some major changes to some of them. The end result is, he's very happy the song now has a home on this album. So am I," added MacDougall, who will play the songs from Heresay, start to finish, tonight at the Sidetrack.

Heresay co-producer Colin Lay, a respected engineer and producer who previously worked with MacDougall on solo projects and the GWO albums, knows the artist's strengths as well as anyone. "I think we finally captured Stewart's superb voice on this album. It's relaxed, up-front and the power of his instrument is there," Lay said.

Once again a talented supporting cast contributes effective and unique parts to the songs, including two from the GWO back catalogue: Down Along The Livingstone (written by Sid Marty) and Buffalo Ground.

You get up there, say your hellos and all of a sudden it's painfully clear; you've got laryngitis. Suddenly that warm room feels a little hot, as Stewart MacDougall explained yesterday by perfectly punctuated e-mail. What, you want the man to talk when he's got demons in his windpipe? 

"I had no idea anything was wrong until I was into the first song. I became host to a virus 10 days ago, but having done the whole program at soundcheck with no problems, I thought it was gone," said MacDougall. "Apparently it was only mutating. My voice didn't give out until after my set, which I miraculously got through unscathed." 

Perfect timing for a good story down the road. MacDougall's had a few, touring Asia, playing keyboards and singing with everybody from k.d. lang to Ian Tyson, to partnering with David Wilkie in the Great Western Orchestra. The legendary GWO produced poetic cowboy music that perhaps pigeonholed MacDougall until he explored new directions with a couple of great solo albums. 

The newborn CD, Heresay, takes 1999's Gathering Time to the next step, nice keyboard work and a voice to move mountains. Above all, it's songs with stories that engage you. It's a good album. 

I asked him about his random thoughts and their best moments. "Away I Will Be was written by mail with Michael Shellard. The lyric was inspired by newspaper accounts of the journey to Fort McMurray in the late '90s by a small construction company from northern New Brunswick in search of work not to be found at home. Michael (formerly of One Horse Blue), who is from Winnipeg and now lives on the Lower Mainland, went to high school with me in Fredericton, N.B. And it was an unexpected honour and privilege to have had the opportunity to write If Memory Serves Me with Ian Tyson, who has always been a major influence for me as both a writer and performer." 

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Laryngitis is no good for a singer, and this is his first time with it. He says it feels "like any other day provided I don't try to raise my voice above a whisper. I hope it just goes away." In a way, it may turn out to be a blessing, though it can't feel like it, but it definitely means he'll get to stay at home with his wife, and maybe get into some new writing. That's the way being a musical cowboy works. It's like shovelling snow - you get up, do it, then take a look at your nice sidewalks for a while until the next zillion flakes fall. 

MacDougall says he's a perfectionist when it comes to making albums. "yes, unfortunately, but I try to temper that with a healthy dose of reality. Colin (Lay, co-producer and engineer) is of a similar bent. Although it took only 12 days in the studio to complete the project, the sessions were spread over the course of a year, which gave us lots of time to strike that balance. Hard writing makes easy reading. Less is more." 

Well said. In all, Heresay is a beautifully shovelled sidewalk to consider, but the snow is falling again. 

Originally from the Canadian maritimes, Stewart MacDougall has made Edmonton, Alberta his home base for most of his musical days, and these two locales play a key role in this album. There's an obvious affection and influence of the western (cowboy) way of life in his songs, but it is balanced neatly by some maritime flavour, found here especially in the tune Zydeco Began... a saucy item that is non-stop fun listening. 

The runaway "hit" song on the album comes in If You're Still Here (sic). It's a country hurtin' song, and rates as MacDougall's "best yet" in both the songwriting and vocal categories. The tune is rivaled for top honors on the album by another sweet "hurtin" tune, If Memory Serves Me, this one co-written with the "master", Ian Tyson. 

MacDougall shows his vast versatility in several areas...The Heart Of Your Criminal Mind has a jazz arrangement; Stubborn Case is a funky blues effort; while Away I Will Be is a soft ballad; and Crossing Alone is a haunting piece of music that begs for repeated play. Trouble On My Tail is given a Gospel feel, and the closing entry on the album, A House Of Stone is a flowery instrumental showcasing Stewart MacDougall's keyboard artistry. 

Heresay was co-produced by Stewart MacDougall and Colin Lay and recorded at Beta Sound Studios in Edmonton. 

MacDougall moved to Edmonton in 1980 with his wife, fellow Frederictonian Janice Brewer. Today, he personifies both facets of the singer-songwriter motif. He always was a lovely vocalist, and his rich voice gets lots of room to move on the melodies of his new CD, Heresay. His keyboard playing remains the dominant musical foil, but there is a bit more musical variety here than on his first solo effort, 1999's Gathering Time. Still, he never spoils things by overdoing the production. Countrywide, fans will gravitate towards the rich sounds and classic country-tinged melodies; after all, MacDougall is a master songwriter. However, local fans will surely notice the recurring theme of the displaced New Brunswicker who has moved out west for a living and a life. The most obvious examples are the lead track Away I will Be and Zydeco  Began. 
 

There's rain on the window and tears on the pillow
Tonight there's a storm blowing up from the bay
The light is still burning
I know she's been hurting
I wish I was working
I wish I could stay

Not much going down in this Maritime town
I've been hanging around, it's not like me to run
It's so hard to leave her
I'll always believe her
I'm holding her closer
Than I've ever done

It's away I am going 
Away from the sea
Away to whatever lies waiting for me
And God only knows who'll be following me
It's away I am going 
And away I will be

There's rain on the window and tears on the pillow
Tonight we're together, tomorrow we'll part
I can't take her with me 
She'll soon be  a memory
Will she ever forgive me?
I'm taking her heart

It's away I am going 
Away from the sea
Away to whatever lies waiting for me
And God only knows who'll be following me
It's away I am going 
And away I will be
 

Michael Shellard & Stewart MacDougall 
©1999 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. & Michael Shellard SOCAN
 

We've travelled together across many rivers
A pair of believers a long way from home
This river you're crossing alone

This change in the weather's a sure sign of winter
Don't linger too long here, it's time to move on
This river you're crossing alone

I'll worry no more that you're weary and sore,
in your vessel all faded and tattered,
pulling an oar to that far away shore
with a faith not so easily shattered

Across the wide water the dark light is closer
I'll wait  'til you get there, I can't come along
This river you’re crossing alone

We've travelled together across many rivers
A pair of believers a long way from home
This river you're crossing alone
 

Stewart MacDougall
©2000 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN
 

As long as there's a question I'm not asking
As long as there's still nothing going on
As long as you're the one I still believe in
I don't need a reason to be wrong
I don't want to know where you've been going
As long as there's a reason I should care
Don't tell me where you've been if you're still there

Maybe it's not even worth confessing
Maybe you forgot to say good-bye
Maybe you'd be wise to keep me guessing
As long as you've got nothing to deny
You can come and go without my knowing
As long as I still hope I've got a prayer
Don't tell me where you've been if you're still there

I don't want to know where you've been going
As long as I'm not minding your affairs
Don't tell me where you've been if you're still there

Don't tell me where you've been.......
If you're still there
 

Stewart MacDougall
©2000 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN
 

Well now Evangeline, she leave de Maritimes when all de war was won
And when she flee from L'Acadie down to de swamp she come
Well the time sure fly, and then  by and by, she go and meet some Voodoo man
And when she bring dat beau down to de fais-do-do dat's when de Zydeco began

Well now Evangeline, she's a Cajun Queen way down in Lousianne 
And after while she got de voodoo chile dere at her every foot and hand
And so de bayou bride she  make a jambalay for feed dat Creole clan
And when dey grow, dey got to rock and roll dat's how de  Zydeco began

Well when Evangline, she play her concertine, you know she play dat chanky-chank
Den with her Beau and all her kin she go into the Lone Star State
But den before too long, she gonna bring her song on back to Lousianne
And when she call, "ne sont pas sel" dat's how de  Zydeco began
 

Stewart MacDougall
©1990 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN
 

We came with the dew to the banks of the river
colder than June no sign of the sun
The gathering grew and with thanks to the giver
the weather withdrew, big medicine done

Gone are the days of the trust and the wonder
Under the flood on the river we drowned
Lost like the days of the dust and the thunder
Under the blood on the buffalo ground

"Forgive me, Grandfathers from every direction,
Never before do I pray in this tongue
But hear me Grandfathers, and send us protection
From far away shores your children have come"

Gone are the days of the trust and the wonder
Under the flood on the river we drowned
Lost like the days of the dust and the thunder
Under the blood on the buffalo ground

The grasses burn sweet still, deep in these waters
Old are the bones asleep in these hills
The shadows fall steep as they leap to the slaughter
Living in stone, still ripe for the kill

Gone are the days of the trust and the wonder
Under the flood on the river we drowned
Lost like the days of the dust and the thunder
Under the blood on the buffalo ground
 

Stewart MacDougall & David Wilkie
©1993 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. & Ghostwriters in Disguise SOCAN
 

Clouds along the mountain rim
Tonight there will be snow again
Frost  along my pony's back
That wind begins to blow
Southern girl now she has gone
Southern ladies just follow the sun
She’ll return when warm rains come
Down along the Livingstone

You can see Chief Mountain now
through that Montana snow
That's where all our bad luck comes from
where all our money’s gonna go
Late spring storms, new dogies born
gotta find them boys
they'll die out there alone
We'll be riding late tonight
Down along the Livingstone

Nancy she sees desert stars 
down around Nogales
while I watch Orion rise
on these lion coloured valleys
Oh but soon the avalanche will roll
down those walls of Livingstone
Where the bear is denned up there
only crazy coyote knows

Billy, get out your guitar
Play that Spanish song once more
She will ride with me tonight
Down along the Livingstone

Play it soft now, play it low
Mi amor, mi corazon
She will ride with me tonight
Down along the Livingstone
 

Sid Marty
©1990 Centre Peak Productions SOCAN
 

Keeping track of the changes 
of your criminal mind
keeps me in your clutches most all of the time
You're keeping your distance
and I'm keeping mine
What lurks in the heart of your criminal mind?

Such simple deception, such simple disguise
No simple obsession, no simple goodbyes
What keeps me from leaving? 
What keeps me in line?
What lurks in the heart of your criminal mind?

Carefully molding your clever replies
Cleverly folding the truth in your lies
What keeps me believing? 
What keeps me so blind?
What lurks in the heart of your criminal mind?

What keeps me believing?
What keeps me so blind?
What lurks in the heart of your criminal mind?
 

Stewart MacDougall
©2000 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN
 

This morning I counted the scars on my face
Each one resurrected a time and a place
I've fallen from favour 
I've fallen from grace
Call me a stubborn case

I might be the one Mama warned you about
So don't let me in if  there ain't no way out
I won't be a good dog 
I won't  know my place
Call me a stubborn case

I answer to no one who preaches to me
I'm walking on my own thin line
Your ivory tower is no place for me
Take your chances 
I'll take mine

Sometimes I feel like a thorn in my side
Most times I'll run when there's no place to hide
I'll keep moving on
never leaving a trace
Call me a stubborn case
 

Stewart MacDougall & Bill Cowsill
©1996 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. & Bill Cowsill SOCAN
 

If memory serves me
It won't be too long before she hurts me
I can't blame my heart if it deserts me
Hearts have selective memory 
If memory serves me

If she forgives me
It won't be the first time she's believed me
She could fall for me again so easy
Hearts have selective memory 
If memory serves me

It should concern me
Knowing that if memory serves me well
Even though we're standing where we fell
Our hearts won't tell

If there was mercy
We could walk away before we're sorry
We both know the ending to the story
Hearts have selective memory
If memory serves me
 

Ian Tyson & Stewart MacDougall
©1998 Ian Tyson ASCAP & Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN
 

There's water coming in
It's coming fast as I can bail
I'm waiting on the wind
It's coming slower than the mail
I'm staring down the doldrums
through a new hole in my sail
There's a fence across my shortcut 
There's trouble on my tail

This bronc was born to buck
just like my butt was born to throw
No matter which end's up
there's only one way I can go
I'm staying in the saddle
for as long as I prevail
There's a fence across my shortcut 
There's trouble on my tail

This rig was bound to wreck
I guess the brakes were bound to fail
I'm pumping on the pedal
but it's all to no avail
I'll run her through the ditches
'til I run her off the rails
There's a fence across my shortcut
There's trouble on my tail
 

Stewart MacDougall
©2001 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN
 

A House Of Stone

Piano Solo

Stewart MacDougall
©2001 Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN