Lee Harvey Osmond — A Quiet Evil

A Quiet Evil

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Chris Burland (CHARTattack)

07/15/2009 2:34pm

With side projects being all the rage these days due in part to the predilection of Jack White to start recording with whatever musicians he meets, it's only a matter of time for Canada's answer to White, Tom Wilson to begin another "super-group."

Following in the blueprint of Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, Wilson has joined with like-minded friends to create Lee Harvey Osmond. This time he's hooked up with members of Skydiggers and Cowboy Junkies, and the resulting organization has created musical hybrid that seems to reflect various bluesy-rock from Wilson's former band, Junkhouse, and the lyrical underpinnings of the 'Diggers' Andy Maize and the moody atmosphere of The Junkies.

A Quiet Evil does span across the roots of rock 'n roll from folk to pop to blues. In a way, it's a bit like Blackie's city cousin. The album begins with a slow fade in of a hypnotic walking bass line and stinging steel guitar. Then Maize's plaintive, vibrating voice laments indigenous rights and the plight of the land claims battle in Caledonia, Ont. in "The Love Of One."

The album continues strongly with Wilson's bluesy "Cuckoo's Nest," channeling a bit of Tom Waits channeled into early '70s pop/soul vibe (a la Eric Burdon and War) with some diverse namedropping — Robert Mitchum, Sonny Liston and Madonna.

While "Queen Bee" is a bit of a Skydiggers mold, featuring and rolling beat supporting harmony vocals of Maize and Wilson, one of the album's strongest sonic moments appears in "Blades Of Grass," a classic recurring guitar riff. Margot Timmins' harmony vocals are introduced in "I'm Going To Stay That Way," perfectly merging with Maize's co-lead vocals in the tradition of The Walkabouts' Chris Eckman and Carla Torgerson or more recently, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan.

A Quiet Evil continues to wander through the familiar without sounding too similar. At times, Wilson's vocal speaking/singing style becomes trying and his musical arrangements a bit repetitive. "Lucifer's Blues" is the key radio track, if it were 35 years ago.

The Wilson-Suzie Vinnick collaboration on "Angels In The Wilderness" is quite pleasant as is the album's final track. The album concludes with a cover of Velvet Underground's "I Can't Stand It." Wilson's lead vocals backed by Maize's harmonies gracefully fly through this charged cover. The song perfectly encapsulates the project's musical raison d'etre. It's almost as if "I Can't Stand It" was the inspiration for the band's formation.

Ultimately, the material on A Quiet Evil is too constricting in its focus, especially with number and variety of the musicians involved here. Both Wilson and Maize's vocal ranges are narrow and each singers' output starts to become a bit indistinguishable for each other. A Quiet Evil has a nice sound but after a while it all wears a bit tin.

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