Morag Northey and Brent Van Dusen

"This is the Life"

Review: Calgary Herald, May 19, 2009

four out of five

Jazz - An indie debut album co-created by Calgary cellist/singer/songwriter Morag Northey and jazz percussionist/ factotum Brent Van Dusen (with more than a little input from another prominent and very talented Calgary multi-instrumentalist, Jonathan Lewis) covers some pretty striking, stylistically diverse musical territory. Everything from sad tango and moody Chinoiserie to country charm with a Parisian flair -- and all in the name of love. And if many of Northey's songs strike a reminiscent pose or two (Laurie Anderson and Joni Mitchell come to mind at times), they wear such influences very well indeed -- thanks to the subtle inventiveness of imagination of everyone involved in this CD project. Each song renders a precise though haunting world of emotion, and all the worlds connect in a way that puts you in mind of taking a journey--and leaves you feeling glad you did.