Review: Dean Owens – Spirit Ridge
Dean Owens – Spirit Ridge
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital
Label: Continental Song City – Continental Record Services
Release: 2025
Text: Bert van Kessel
https://www.musthavemusic.nl/mhm-tours/dean-owens-sinners-mei-2025
Expectations were high after Dean Owens’ “The Ridge Trilogy” – EPs were released last year as an introduction tot his successor to ‘Sinner’s Shrine’ whïch many believed to be the best album of 2022.
And the Scottish Troubadour Extraordinaire has accomplished the unthinkable: he has least equalled that cooperation with Calexico. That album breathed the spirit of Arizona. In order to b e able to create a similar atmosphere he relocated to Emilia Romagna , a province in Italy, the land of his forefathers. There he teamed up with roots master Don Antonio who brought in his Stone Buffalo Band plus a number of exquisite guests, including Calexico’s Joey Convertino (contributing some delicate percussion!) they helped him imbue these deeply personal, guitar-driven and brass-infused songs with the magic of the Italian hills. Their lush arrangements combine perfectly with Dean’s enchanting, melancholy vocals.
The album contains twelve impressive tracks, six of which are completely new , four are re-recorded demos from the EPs and two are extended mixes of the wonderful, already familiar prize tracks My Beloved Hills and Tame The Lion, which for me might even have been extended a lot longer, such great, mesmerizing songs!
Dean Owens and his Sinners are currently on tour, undoubtedly coming to a place near you. Grab that chance to indulge yourself in that captivating Italo-Scottish atmosphere. Don’t Miss Out!
Tracks:
01. Eden Is Here
02. Spirito
03. My Beloved Hills
04. Light This World
05. The Buzzard And The Crow
06. Burn It All
07. Face The Storm (The Buffalo)
08. Sinner Of Sinners
09. Wall Of Death
10. A Divine Tragedy
11. Spirit Of Us
12. Tame The Lion
Musicians:
Dean Owens – lead vocals, nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
The Stone Buffalo Band:
Don Antonio – guitars, lap steel, mellotron, piano
Luca Giovacchini – guitars, dobro
Piero Perelli – drums and percussion
Danilo Gallo – double bass, bass
with:
Nicola Peruch – piano, organ, keyboards
Vanni Crociani – horns arrangements
Francesco Bucci – trombone
Michele Vignali – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Plus very special guests:
John Convertino – second drummer on Light This World and Spirit Of Us, marimba on The Buzzard & The Crow and vibraphone on Spirit Of Us.
Martin Wenk – trumpet on My Beloved Hills and Light This World
Tom Hagerman – strings and string arrangements
Kirsten Adamson – backing vocals
Christopher Stout – fiddle on Sinner of Sinners
Nuala Kennedy – flute on The Buzzard & The Crow and Sinner of Sinners