Tony Dekker - Prayer of the Woods

  by Mark Rowland

published: 18 / 12 / 2013

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Tony Dekker, primary songwriter and front man of Canada’s Great Lake Swimmers, is taking a break from his main band, going solo with ‘Prayer of the Woods’, an album recorded over two sessions in the historic St Brendan’s Church in Rockport, Ontario, with Dekker playing all the instruments himself. The result is a record that owes a little to the sun-kissed 70’s California folk scene, though considering a number of that scene’s key players were Canadian ex-pats, the sound is quite fitting. The church’s vaguely spiritual stamp is also felt on the album, its excellent acoustics bathing the songs in a distinct, natural reverb. Despite the sunny Sunday vibe, Dekker does not shy away from big questions and themes in his songs. ‘Prayer of the Woods’ is laced with melancholy, a vague unease and insecurity in one’s place in the world. Dekker’s lyrics touch on broad human obsessions such as nature, spirituality and mortality, delivered as an almost desperate plea for greater understanding of the human condition. “Won’t you think of me in a good light?” he sings on ‘Final Song’, which puts Dekker in the role of a man feeling his life drain away, his fear rising as he realises he doesn’t have long left. It all hangs together as a coherent musical story, whether Dekker intended it to or not.

Track Listing:-

1 On My Way Back
2 Somewhere Near Thunder Bay
3 Final Song
4 Empty Arms
5 Prayer of the Woods
6 Hearing Voices
7 Under a Magician's Sky
8 Land of the Glass Pinecones
9 Talking In Your Sleep
10 Carefree Highway

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/greatlakeswimmers
http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com/
https://twitter.com/greatlakeswim

Label Links:-

http://www.nettwerk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nettwerkmusicgroup
https://twitter.com/Nettwerkmusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/NettwerkMusic
https://instagram.com/nettwerkmusic/

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