Potvin's heart is breaking by Ian Nathanson, Ottawa Sun. Sunday, July 23, 2000 |
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| Between the Northern Pikes' split in '93 and
their recent reformation, singer-guitarist Bryan Potvin fell into a, shall we say, slump. His five-year marriage dissolved, a four-year A&R job with Mercury Records provided a less-than-happy working environment which could've jaded the best of people. Fortunately, years of the Pikes' pop-sensibilities provided an outlet for the 37-year-old (who's renowned for She Ain't Pretty, arguably his finest Pike moment) and his debut solo outing. Like Aimee Mann's solo albums, Potvin's Heartbreakthrough lyrically spills the beans that life ain't pretty no matter which way you look at it, but wraps everything up in the conventional pop he's best known for. The success rate varies -- on the low end, Too Late and Red Summer Sun follow nothing-special typical verse-chorus patterns; on the high end, What Will I Do?, Darling, You Live in a Dreamworld and the Beach Boys-like title track offer up haunting arrangements to go with Potvin's soaring singing. What lies in between is a sleeper of a disc, rounded out by a stellar musical cast featuring indie great Sarah Slean, Zuckerbaby's Reed Shimozawa and Blue Rodeo's James Gray and producer Terry Brown. Ah, if only the rest of pop music could take a hint from Potvin ... |