Artist: Hazen Halls
Album: Our Fires Fade to Candles, Vol. 1
Release Date: September 1, 2022
Genre: Indie/ Folk/ Alternative
Hazen Halls, the pseudonym for award-winning Prince Edward Island writer and musician Rick Sparkes’ latest recording project, has recently unveiled his album, Our Fires Fade to Candles, Vol. 1.
The ten-track release features an eclectic mix of Sparkes’ music and his award-winning poetry. The poems themselves have been parts of collections that have been recognized over the past decade through the Island Literary Awards and the CBC Poetry Prize shortlist.
The album starts with the previous single, “When Boat Painting Becomes a Rescue Mission,” which sets the tone of the album and gives the listener an idea of what to expect through the next nine tracks.
Standout tracks, “For Hubert, Richmond” and “In Your Father’s Cottage,” both feature Tim Chaisson of The East Pointers on violin, and “For Hubert, Richmond” also features Nathan Wiley on bass and Rick’s son Hunter on rhythm acoustic guitar.
“For Hubert, Richmond” consists of a full-bodied beat and captivating vocals. Sparks’ lyrics, which are all original poems put to music, have a way of speaking to the soul. This track, in particular, caught my attention as it’s one of the more upbeat tracks from the release and tells a story of a life lived and lost. The lyrics, “whose hands, I’ve gleaned over the years were taught obedience, by full-length stories involving axe handles and the palsied clot of weather…” speaks volumes.
“In Your Father’s Cottage” speaks of memories of past times at a lovers’ family cottage. Certain parts of this track spoke to me simply through nostalgia, such as “air pressed oh-so-thin as looseleaf love letters in cottage mailbox tin.” The emotion evoked in this track is full of passion while, at the same time, sorrowful. Going back to the past, whether in memory or to a place where it happened, can cause such opposing feelings, which is perfectly illustrated in this track.
All in all, the ten-song release does an amazing job at narrating to the listener various topics such as love and loss, colonialism, homophobia, inherited trauma, and suicide.
Connect with Hazen Halls:
Website
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram