Milly's Cafe

by Fred Eaglesmith

Overview

Fred Eaglesmith loves the road. The fiercely independent Canadian singer/songwriter's 16th album listens like a stagecoach trip down Route 66, taking its own sweet time in order to sniff out every corner like an Old West Canterbury Tales. The Springsteen-esque opener, "18 Wheels," follows the plight of a lovelorn truckdriver trying to fight the urge to plead his way back into the arms of his estranged lover. It's a fitting start for Milly's Cafe, a sparse and determined collection of stories that refuses to ever break into a gallop -- even the rolling title cut, a Bonnie & Clyde-inspired tale of guns and redemption, barely achieves midtempo. Still, it's an affecting album that uses the space allotted to it as a strength. The languid "Summer Is Over" is all Ferris wheels and small-town lemonade, while the heartbreaking "Rocky," which follows the correspondence between two weathered and ailing cowboys withering away in separate retirement homes, keeps reality clearly in check. It's a road-trip record in the classic sense, and one that's got a confection for whatever mood you may find yourself in. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	12/16/2016
Label:	Aml / Linus Entertainment
UPC:	0620673276726
Rank:	94930

Tracks

1. 18 Wheels
2. Kansas
3. Summer Is Over
4. Thinkin Bout Her
5. Rocky
6. Milly's Cafe
7. Tired
8. Mrs Hank Williams
9. Sign on the Wall
10. The Rains
11. [Untitled Hidden Track]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Fred Eaglesmith   Primary Artist,Cello,Banjo,Guitar,Vocals,Melodica,Morin Khuur,Piano
Kori Heppner   Drums
Luke Stackhouse   Bass
Willie P. Bennett   Vocals (Background),Harmonica,Mandolin
Scott Merritt   Drums,Guitar
Dan Walsh   Dobro,Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Baritone)

Technical Credits

Fred Eaglesmith   Composer,Engineer
Kori Heppner   Engineer
Paul Intson   Mastering
Scott Merritt   Mixing,Mastering