It’s no small task putting your own mark on the canon of CanCon, but the Saint John String Quartet have stepped up to the challenge. Their newest album, Canadian Hits: Unplugged, has the Quartet working with Rebecca Pellett to make their own instrumental arrangements of some of the biggest songs the country has ever turned out. The question is: can they really improve on the original?
“Each arrangement is completely different with a number of elements that will surprise listeners. The recordings are fun, fresh and innovative takes on Canadian pop songs,” says Sonja Adams, the Quartet’s cellist.
The album calls to mind some of the fantastic examples of cross-genre instrumental works out there; ranging from the EDM re-imaginings of Kaleidoscope Orchestra to “Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd” or any number of albums performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (though on a more modest scale).
The Saint John String Quartet, however, fills a a slightly smaller niche. Rather than producing something grandiose, in the way that the full scope and scale of an orchestra might, the Quartet nimbly seek out ways to to breathe new life and excitement into these songs. These are the tunes that you have been belting out in karaoke bars since before you were old enough to be there. These are the songs that played on the car stereo while you were still stuck in the back seat. These are songs which, either by choice or by circumstance, drilled every note and lyric into your memory over the course of your lifetime.
If you’re a little critical of it, it’s not entirely surprising.
That being said, the Saint John String Quartet do an admirable job of it. The album features 16 tracks from Canadian icons – some modern, some less so – like The Arkells, Neil Young, The Guess Who, Leonard Cohen, The Barenaked Ladies, Joni Mitchell, Coeur de pirate. Gordon Lightfoot, Corey Hart and more. It’s a list that leaves you thinking more about who else they might have possibly squeezed in there.
For the purists out there, the album may throw some stumbling blocks your way; the Quartet take their liberties in making this music their own. After all, a straight cover wouldn’t make it very interesting, would it? At times, like their arrangement of Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” the songs get a bit muddied with embellishments, while others distinctly use it to their advantage. Their versions of The Band’s “Ophelia” and The Guess Who’s “These Eyes” both get treated to a playful twist. The Barenaked Ladies’ “Brian Wilson” gets delivered with such a kick, it entirely shifts the tone of the song.
The standout inclusion from the album is one the Quartet take to easily, much to the relief of an entire nation. Their instrumental approach to The Tragically Hip’s “Ahead by a Century” holds true to the original, and probably for the best. You don’t want to mess with perfection.
That being said, the level at which listeners will enjoy and/or forgive Canadian Hits: Unplugged may very well come down to the personal attachment placed on any of these songs. There’s no way to disentangle them from their originals.
The Saint John Sting Quartet boldly picked a challenge they knew would be facing national scrutiny, and they’ve managed to hold their own.
Tour Dates:
09.05.19 – Fredericton,NB @ McCain Hall, STU,
10.05.19 – Sussex, NB @ St Francis Xavier Church
11.05.19 – Moncton, NB @ Resurgo Place
12.05.19 – Saint John, NB @ Saint John Arts Centre