On his first record for Canadian independent label
True North
(his previous two have since been re-released by them),
Fearing
teamed with
Los Lobos
'
Steve Berlin
as his producer. The result was a more polished work than his previous and the musicianship throughout is excellent. Contributions from
Richard Thompson
and
Sarah McLachlan
augment
's skilled acoustic guitar playing, which is highlighted on the
instrumentals
"Lark and Duke"
"Martin's"
(dedicated to guitarist
Martin Carthy
). The archetypal
singer/songwriter
,
's songs on this album reflect on topics such as loneliness (
"Down the Wire"
), love (
"Give It Up"
), and life on the road (
"The Life"
). He celebrates his "Canadianness" in the invigorating
"The Longest Road"
and dabbles in the
blues
with
"Lonesome Whistle,"
popularized by
Little Feat
more than a decade earlier. ~ Rob Caldwell