This is an album that
has been on my mind lately quite a bit. As we've just passed the
tenth anniversary of its release, it still resonates with me and has
remained a favourite of my collection through the years. I remember
listening to the hit single “Take a Message” while walking
through the snow one winter and being enraptured by it. This was
probably one of the first albums that introduced me to Rhythm and
Blues music proper. You see, when I heard that The Way I Feel
was an R&B album, I thought it was mislabelled because it sounded
much more like jazz music to me rather than what was commonly thought
of as R&B. But if you look at Remy Shand's inspirations, such as
Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Herbie Hancock, it seems that he was much
more of a Rhythm and Blues artist than his pop R&B counterparts.
Another thing that stood out about this album was that he played all
of the instruments, with the exception of a baritone saxophone in one
of the songs. Clearly he was a talent not to be overlooked.
I might as well open up
with the purpose behind this review. I want it to be one of two
reviews I will be doing this week of artists with single albums that
I really like, but have since completely disappeared with very little
trace. Remy Shand has been the most mysterious. It was announced that
he was working on a follow-up album back in... 2004 or maybe even
earlier, called A Day In The Shade and the title track was
even finished and available for download off of his website. And then
there was nothing. His website disappeared, the album never came to
be, and Remy Shand has made no public statement as to what his plans
are or even where he is. There are even Facebook and Twitter accounts
devoted to finding Remy Shand and... I guess I don't know what they
plan to do if he appears. What can they do, sit him down in front of
a keyboard with a gun to his head demanding him to record a second
album?
Whatever the case, it's
clear that, even while he wasn't a huge success, he left an
impression on quite a few people. He should be proud that he made an
album that resonated with people... or Canadians at least. The Way
I Feel charted #1 in his home Canada, but only #39 in the United
States and didn't get much international recognition. Still, that's
fairly impressive because he didn't really sound like anything else
at the time. He was a bit of retro mixed with a lot of fresh and new
ideas. What more could we ask for? Another album I guess...
It opens with the title
track “The Way I Feel” which gives no false impressions, as he
pounds on bongo drums and noodles on a distorted and funk conscious
guitar. It's a great introduction song, giving you a feel of the more
upbeat groove that the album provides. It's followed by the more
subdued “Burning Bridges,” a personal favourite of mine. He
opens it right away with his full, unhindered falsetto singing and
carries the song naturally into a slow, but heartfelt track. There is
no obvious verse or chorus structure, rather it goes through three
movements, each picking up more and more momentum. Every time I
listen to it, it takes me back to a job I had when I was a teenager,
doing extra work for a movie. I remember listening to it while
sitting on a fence in the dark waiting for a ride home after a long
day. It is a nice time to reflect on.
The album goes through
a few tracks that I don't have as much enthusiasm for, though I do
enjoy them each to some extent. “Everlasting” is great fun and
really shows off Shand's pipes as he reaches some impressively high
notes. “The Second One” is a catchy song, particularly the slick
keyboard during the chorus. Then there is “The Colour of the Day,”
one of the more contemplative tracks the album has to offer.
The half way mark of
the album brings The Way I Feel's big single, “Take A
Message.” The charm of this song is in the subtle details. The
most obvious aspect of the song is the singing, but there are
actually some really lovely chords played during the chorus and the
bass line is something really special. It's overall a fairly simple
song, but it's very well constructed, showing that sometimes all you
need is a knowledge of how to build off of small ideas. “I Met Your
Mercy” is the next track, and while arguably the weakest of the
bunch, it some great lyrical moments and a great relaxing guitar solo
thick with reverb.
Next is “Rocksteady,”
the second and less successful single off the album. Though, I really
like this song as it's one of the most fun and catchy tracks it has
to offer. I was disappointed when this one didn't catch on; I
probably heard it on the radio twice. It's followed by the somewhat
dark funk track “Liberate,” one of the best songs off the album,
full of guitar solos and a thick bass line. This song is a triumph.
“Looking Back on
Vanity” is another slower, calmer track in between two of the best
songs so it kind of unfairly gets lost between them. It's enjoyable
and quotable, but arguably a little too long. The album finishes with
“The Mind's Eye,” the most jazzy song of the bunch and one of the
best tracks on here. The vocals of the song only really take up the
first two minutes of the song leaving a remaining four minutes to
focus on instrumentation, allowing jazzy guitar and keyboard solos to
overtake the song and bring it to a very satisfying conclusion. This
is a marvellous song and I highly recommend it.
One of the things that
is interesting about The Way I Feel is that it feels like an
album that is greater than the sum of its parts. While there are no
actual bad songs on the album, there are a number that are quite a
bit weaker than the album's highlights, though that high quality
would be hard to maintain. But every time I listen to it, I walk away
feeling like it was a good experience. That means that at the very
least, the album is very well structured. Not to mention that the
final half of the album is terrific and it finishes on a very high
note. Remy Shand is a great song writer and put a lot of his soul
into his music and it shows. That sort of effort doesn't go unnoticed
and that's likely why his fans still remember him after such a long
time. An album as unique and fresh as The Way I Feel doesn't
come out every day. And I think it has aged well. I've been hearing
some songs that were big around this time now and they feel like
songs that came out in the early 2000's. This really was something
different.
So, what ever happened
to Remy Shand and will we ever see another album? I don't know and I
don't know. I've been literally checking up on him for years and have
found very little information. There are only rumours that he's
working on material again and nothing I've seen that on has been a
reliable source. I'm more or less resigned to the notion that he had
one great album in him and that's all that we'll hear. Maybe he just
couldn't write material that he felt was worth putting out so he just
had let it go and do something else with his life. Who knows? Maybe
I'm okay with that. Maybe The Way I Feel is as fondly
remembered as it is because it is stand alone.
Now, can we just have a
reunion tour of the four piece band from the “Take A Message”
music video? They looked like a tight group.
4.5 Stars
Update: Since writing this review, Remy Shand has resurfaced and started to release music again. Check out some of his singles here: http://remyrecords.bandcamp.com/
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