Coventry, England's Tin Angel Records has spent the past few years pooling the talents of a particular pocket of players within Toronto's leftfield folk/pop-rock/jazz-improv underground, and Colours (a follow-up to Sproule's 2011 effort I Love You Go Easy, likewise produced by Sandro Perri and recorded at T.O.'s 6 Nassau studio) and Keresley (named after the village near Coventry where Tielli temporarily resided, shaping this second solo album after missing a flight back home) are the newest results of this cross-Atlantic cultural exchange.
"Colours features an all-star Toronto band including guitar and synth wiz Thom Gill, a rhythm section borrowed from the R&B project Bernice (Robin Dann on vocals, Philip Melanson on drums and Dan Fortin on bass) and Sandro Perri at the production helm. Considering how long these two Ontarians have been away from home, Colours is decidedly a product of Toronto. The city, the songs and the ensemble have knocked these two established artists off balance and right into their element.
Hints of African high life, British folk, free improvisation, Brazilian spirituals and blue-eyed soul gracefully come together in Doug Tielli's second release, Keresley. The record is a wide spray of textures, dynamics and styles and feels unified by Doug’s fluid voice and musicianship. Voice, guitar, percussion and brass don't just outline a melody; they resonate as one with grace and simplicity. Doug Tielli uses his songs to translate the natural and the un-natural world around him." - Tin Angel Records