Bill Isles: The Shore Of My Hometown

BILL ISLES The Shores Of My Hometown Bill Isles 0604

After listening to these 11 tracks you'll feel like Bill and Kate Isles are the couple next door. (Bill wrote all but one of the songs here. His wife Kate sings with him on many of the tracks.) The album title is truth in advertising. The songs focus on sense of place and daily life. Consider it a less humorous, more realistic Lake Woebegon from another Minnesota resident. Isles not only self-produced this CD, he also engineered it, and did a very good job at both, which is rare. The production is interesting and appropriate, never distracting from the songs. He's blessed with fiddle accompaniment from the talented Canadian, April Verch, who also performs an instrumental duet with him on "The Princess And The Pauper." The CD follows a personal journey beginning with "Headin' North" with "Photo Mosaic" in the middle, which is something of a philosophical word mosaic about his life and concluding with "My Minnesota Home," written by Isle's great aunt. The song that's most fun is one sung as a duet with his wife. It relates the history of the relationship of a couple that confuses their baggage on a train, because they have "Matching Baggage." It's a delightful double-entendre. "Radio" is a wonderful slice of life, and although I'm a radio person, Isles makes a strong point for live music over listening to the radio. "Rainbow Weather" reminds us that even after the storm wreaks havoc there's always something to look forward to. Isles doesn't write highfalutin' poetry. Rather his down-home style snags you with its honesty and unpretentiousness and, oh, that lovely fiddle accompaniment by Verch. His voice has that natural Bill Staines quality, nothing flashy but consistently entertaining. This is what 1 call a "slippers" recording. Slip off your shoes, put your feet up and relax with Isles' vignettes and visions.

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