Lennie Gallant is a guitar player, singer and songwriter from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is a folksinger with an unforgettably intimate way with words and rhythm that express human emotions. He fills the air with songs about everyday experiences.

Look at the chorus of "Steel Man," about a small-town family man losing his job in a steel plant at the age of 45:

Oh, the fires are fading in the plant tonight
But they're burning in his body and his mind
He said, 'They want to melt my heart down
But it's not yet time."
I felt the temperature rising
Though the blast furnace was dying
As he fell to his knees upon the ground
In the end it took a piece of paper
To cut the steel man down.

Lyrics of another song express so well the dilemma of a difficult and yet binding love affair: "Oh, is it love I feel, or courage I lack/When I can't say good-bye/And I can't go back."

Three really good tracks "Believing in Better," "Man of Steel" and "Is It Love I Feel" are enough to encourage you to get this album. Gallant has the voice of the wind, sometimes cool and sweet, sometimes warm and wild, and his guitar and violin accompaniment complement every note. His voice sweeps over you like the breeze over ocean, or a warm sweet breath at the back of your neck.

Some of the cuts are not as riveting as the top three, but their words are strong and vibrant. Read the liner notes and listen to this CD once and you're sure to put this Lennie Gallant CD on the shelf with your favorite folksingers.

- Rambles
written by Virginia MacIsaac
published 20 September 2003

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