DANIEL ROMANO - Workin' For The Music Man

The Constantines once sang, "Work and love will make a man out of you." It seems like young Daniel Romano has taken this lesson to heart. In the past year, the native of Welland, Ontario has been incredibly busy, releasing a full-length and a split 12" with his rock group Attack In Black, playing with and appearing on records by artists as diverse as Shotgun Jimmie and Julie Fader, and forming the folk trio Daniel, Fred & Julie alongside Fred Squire and Julie Doiron (and according to the liner notes to this album, he's fallen in love, too). To top this all off, he founded his own record label, You've Changed Records, as an output for his work. The freedom of calling all the shots seems to have informed his music, as Romano has been trying something new (at least within his body of work) with each release.

Similarly to Daniel, Fred & Julie, Daniel tackles a few traditional songs on Workin' for the Music Man, including the old English ballad 'Lady Mary'—perhaps the most immediately likeable song he's ever recorded, here titled "She Was the World to Me." However, it's his originals that make this album truly worth your time. Tracks such as "Missing Wind" and "A Losing Song" (which both appeared in alternate versions on a 7" released earlier this year—also available here at our shop!) show that Romano is an excellent songwriter in his own right. Bruce Peninsula singer Misha Bower appears thoughout the album, adding some gravity to the songs.

The overarching themes of the album, work and love, are universal, and the music follows suit. This is an album you can put on and immediately understand, which in this day and age seems to be happening less and less.