Insight
On Line 49, Suzie McNeil turns a set of familiar Canadian songs into something warmer, looser and more personal than a standard tribute album. Rather than simply recreating classics by Sarah McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, Tom Cochrane, The Tragically Hip, Corey Hart, Alanis Morissette and others, McNeil pulls the material toward soul, roots and adult rock, giving the record a unified feel despite the wide range of source material.
The concept works because McNeil has the kind of voice that can handle both the big choruses and the emotional weight behind them. Songs like 'Building A Mystery', 'Both Sides Now' and 'Bobcaygeon' are already deeply woven into Canadian music history, but here they are treated less like museum pieces and more like living songs still capable of being reshaped. The inclusion of her own 'Soul Life' also gives the album a personal centre, while the dedication to her late father adds a heartfelt reason for the project’s existence.
Line 49 is a proudly Canadian reinterpretation album: respectful, polished and full of affection for the songs that inspired it.
-Robert Williston
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Line 49
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Credits
Musicians
Evan Frederiksen: drums
Chuck Keeping: drums on 'Bobcaygeon'
MacTaggart Guitar: guitar on 'Someday', 'Building A Mystery', 'White Hot', 'Bobcaygeon' and 'Could’ve Been A Lady'
Adam Michael: guitar on 'Soul Life', 'Never Surrender' and 'Hand In My Pocket'
Thomas Reynolds: guitar on 'Both Sides Now'
Curtis Freeman: bass
Marti Frederiksen: guitar on 'Building A Mystery' and 'Could’ve Been A Lady'; bass on 'Blinding Lights'
Peter Kadar: keys and synths
Joel Parisien: keys on 'Building A Mystery', 'Both Sides Now' and 'Could’ve Been A Lady'
Alison Young: alto sax, tenor sax and baritone sax; horn charts for all songs; horn composition on 'Blinding Lights', 'Building A Mystery', 'Bobcaygeon', 'Never Surrender', 'Could’ve Been A Lady' and 'Hand In My Pocket'
James Ervin: trumpet
Dave Pierce: keyboards and programming on 'Both Sides Now'
Songwriting
'Someday' written by Frew, Connelly and Vallance
'Blinding Lights' written by Tesfaye, Martin, Holter, Balshe and Quenneville
'Building A Mystery' written by McLachlan and Marchand
'White Hot' written by Cochrane and Greer
'Soul Life' written by McNeil, Taylor, Casey and Frederiksen
'Both Sides Now' written by Mitchell
'Bobcaygeon' written by Downie, Langlois, Baker, Sinclair and Fay
'Never Surrender' written by Hart
'Could’ve Been A Lady' written by Brown and Wilson
'Hand In My Pocket' written by Morissette and Ballard
Production
Produced by Marti Frederiksen and Evan Frederiksen
Mixed by Marti Frederiksen and Evan Frederiksen
Pre-production by Still Avenue and Joel Parisien
Pre-production by Justin Koop at B Town Sound Recording Studio
Mastered by Anthony Focx
Recorded in Ontario and Nashville, Tennessee
Artwork / Photography
Photos by Michelle B.
Cover design by Joanne Howard at SmallDogDesign
Dedication
This record is dedicated to my late father, Robin McNeil… here you go dad, I finally did it!
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