Canadian Folk Legend Ken Whiteley Releases Joyful Lullaby Single “Hole In The Clouds” from 35th Album Unseen Hands
Toronto-based folk/singer-songwriter icon Ken Whiteley has crafted beautiful songs that have piqued the interest of children, gospel fans, and lovers of tasteful, highbrow folk music. Now Whiteley has again added to his rich discography with his latest single “Hole In The Clouds” from his timely, tranquil, and tremendously solid studio album Unseen Hands. For Whiteley, the 12-track effort features Whiteley performing on 12-string guitar for majestic results.
“The recordings all speak to place in one way or another — from the little patch of ground in downtown Toronto where I live, a conversation with the moon, April in Paris, looking at the stars, the soil, the planet, and how we all connect,” Whiteley says.
The album, produced by Whiteley and released on Pyramid Records, is a wonderful collection led by the opening track “Hole In The Clouds,” a dreamy lullaby-esque tune that has Whiteley at his best.
“It is an invitation to open wide,” Whiteley says of “Hole In The Clouds.” “It is musically anchored in Ken’s 12-string guitar, Ben Whiteley’s upbeat bass lines, Georgia Harmer’s expanding background vocals, and Bucky Berger’s bongos and drumming.”
The fact that such a simple yet stellar piece of music was derived from simply recognizing the sun breaking through clouds is a testament to Whiteley’s wonderful way with words and his almost instinctive, incredible approach to the craft of songwriting.
Unseen Hands, recorded and mixed by Whiteley and Nik Tjelios at Toronto’s Casa Wroxton Studio and mastered by Harris Newman at Montreal’s Grey Market Mastering, is a lovely, serene 12-track affair. It speaks to simple truths of love, nature, and life in these somewhat trying times with political turmoil, the climate crisis, and people seemingly wrapped up in technology around every corner. From the folksy “Here I Stand,” which celebrates where he resides in downtown Toronto and its Indigenous history before Toronto existed, to the soulful cover of Bobby Womack’s “That’s The Way I Feel About You,” Whiteley is masterful regardless of the song, the topic, or in some cases the choice of covers.
Although Whiteley wrote nine of the 12 songs from Unseen Hands himself, including a co-write with Berger on “Fast Freight Train,” another cover included is a magical, dreamy rendition of “Stars” originally found on The Weather Station’s 2022 album How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars. Here, Whiteley has a sparse amount of instrumentation for a dreamy effect while addressing the issue of climate change.
Meanwhile, other spectacular nuggets include Whiteley’s intricate finger-picking during the chugging “Fast Freight Train” and the blues-tinged “Mixed Up World.” Not to be outdone, Whiteley oozes French flair during the American Songbook standard “April In Paris,” and “New Growth,” which seems to meld world music influences for a song Whiteley penned as a birthday gift to his wife Ellen Manney (who sings on “So We Sing”). In short, fans of any great folk musician or singer-songwriter from Bruce Cockburn to Ron Sexsmith, Bob Dylan to James Taylor would be wise to seek Unseen Hands.
Additional musicians on Unseen Hands include Sundar Vishwanathan on bansouri flute and soprano sax, harmony vocalists Ciceal Levy and Adrienne Mackenzie, accordion player Tom Szczesniak, harmonica player Roly Platt, and string bassist Gord Mowat. As well, Whiteley has a bevy of backing vocalists for the closing “So We Sing,” including Anna Pappas, Keith Kemps, Lia Pappas Kemps, Nastasia Pappas Kemps, Joel Archimbeault, Catherine Stockhausen, Daisy Archimbeault.
Unseen Hands, the follow-up to 2023’s So Glad I’m Here, is another fine addition to Whiteley’s rich history. Having shared the stage with Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and John Hammond Jr., among countless others, Whiteley has seven JUNO Award nominations in Blues, Roots and Traditional and Children’s genres. He has also earned two GRAMMY Award nominations and 22 JUNO Award nominations in various collaborations and was part of the dynamic trio Scarlett, Washington, and Whiteley alongside the late Mose Scarlett and Jackie Washington. Having received a Genie Award, 18 Maple Blues nominations and Lifetime Achievement Awards from various organizations including the Mariposa Folk Festival and with over 400 songs written, Ken Whiteley is a Canadian folk institution.
Now with a lovely lead single “Hole In The Clouds” and an equally inviting studio album in Unseen Hands, Ken Whiteley continues to both inspire and question like all great artists should.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind “Hole In The Clouds” and how the idea for the song came about?
A “hole in the cloud” where the sun shines through is something of an iconic image that has filled me with awe since I was a kid. In this song I’m also looking at what is behind the clouds and ultimately how their ephemeral nature is a metaphor for the transitoriness in life.
I often start the songwriting process with a melodic or harmonic idea as I did with “Hole In the Clouds”. Then I listen to the musical idea and try and see if it suggests words to me. Once I heard in the melody the phrase “hole in the clouds”, I proceeded to work from that idea and discover where that led me. Soon there is a conceptual framework that I work from and create the rest of the lyrics, adding other elements like a bridge as I write. One could say that the inspiration, both musical and lyrical, is pulled out of the air while finishing a song is an act of professional craftsmanship.
You’ve collaborated with some remarkable musicians on this album. How did you approach incorporating their unique talents to enhance the sound?
I start with the songs themselves and they suggest to me different sounds that the song itself “wants” (if I may attribute volition to a song). For example “April In Paris” called out for accordion playing and Tom Sczesniak is a master who was perfect for that song. Once I’m hiring him for a session then I think “what else might sound good with Tom’s accordion?” and add him to that. Bansouri flute is an awesome sound and I’ve always loved the saxophone. I had done some gigs in recent years with the group Jaffa Road and knew Sundar Vishwanathan in that group played both beautifully. I’ve worked with drummer Bucky Berger for over 40 years so we have a long history in the studio together that allows a lot of good give and take. I never underestimate the immense value that is added by good bass playing and both Gord Mowat and my son, Ben Whiteley are outstanding. Finally, I love harmony singing so you know that will be part of any Ken Whiteley album. Long time collaborator, Ciceal Levy and her friend Adrienne Mackenzie added that soulful touch and I was so impressed with the ideas that young singer/songwriter Georgia Harmer came up with.
The album includes a few covers, like Bobby Womack’s “That’s The Way I Feel About You” and The Weather Station’s “Stars.” What drew you to these specific songs, and how did you make them your own?
Bobby Womack’s “That’s The Way I Feel About You” first came out in 1971 and I’ve loved it for years. I first heard The Weather Station’s “Stars” in concert in December, 2022 and was immediately struck by it. Early on I had the idea that all the songs on this album would start with me playing them on twelve string guitar so that is what I did with both of these.
Bobby Womack was a great guitar player who came up playing with Sam Cooke. Musically I wanted to retain his signature guitar riffs (which I played on slide) but lyrically I took a very adaptive approach. The more I sang the original lyrics I began to feel a bit uncomfortable with them because of what I felt was an underlying tone of misogyny. I altered them to reflect my own love relationship with a master gardener which fit the lyrical themes of the album better.
Songs like “Stars” that start with a question can grab me right away. Tamara Lindeman’s approach to“Stars” is very rubato. I wanted to have a little more groove behind it but still keep some of the original dramatic pauses. It also has a very big melodic range so I actually recorded it more than once as I tried to find a key that would work well for both the low and the high parts. Of course, lyrically it was a perfect fit for the album, dealing as it does with both a deep connection to the universe and dismay for humanities’ sometimes seeming obliviousness to that connection.
As a Canadian folk icon with a rich history with over 400 songs written in your career, what do you hope listeners take away from Unseen Hands and your latest single?
I hope that people are reminded to look behind the appearance of things and experience the wonder and connection when we realize that each of us is just one tiny part of a big universe. That experience is grounded in where we are; the earth beneath us, the water flowing, the air and sky, our place in space. The implication of recognizing ourselves as a part of a much bigger whole is that we have a responsibility to that whole that sustains us. Our collectivity resonates when we work together and especially when we sing together. So let’s sing!
Tour Dates:
November 24, 2024 — Hugh’s Room Live (2 p.m. start) — Toronto, ON (CD Release show with special guests Garnetta Cromwell, Georgia Harmer, Ciceal Levy and Bucky Berger)
December 7, 2024 — Metropolitan Community Church (two shows, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.) — Toronto, ON (with the Metropolitan Community Church Choir, Kim Doolittle, Jason Jestadt music director)
December 12, 2024 — Shenkman Hall — Ottawa, ON (with Sultans of String Christmas Caravan)
December 19, 2024 — Victoria Hall — Cobourg, ON (with Sultans of String Christmas Caravan)
December 20, 2024 — Nineteen on the Park — Stouffville, ON (with Sultans of String Christmas Caravan)
December 21, 2024 — Hugh’s Room Live — Toronto, ON (with Sultans of String Christmas Caravan)