Danny Michel
Valhalla
(Maple)
There’s really nothing new under Danny Michel’s sun on Valhalla, but then, why mess with a good thing? The guy’s got plenty of ideas. On the first three tracks alone he goes from wee-hours acoustic ballad (“It’s Not the End of the World”) to a peppy country-and-westernized tune (“White Lightning”) to a radio-ready pop track (“Running,” though it’s a Gwen Stefani tune). This three-song pattern roughly repeats itself through the album. The West figures prominently in the sped-up waltz of “Into the Flame.” “Midnight Train” is another potential chart song. In his studio in rural southern Ontario, Michel has spun his usual lyrical and production magic.
—Sean Flinn
categories: Canadian artist
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.