David Francey So Say We All Review, The Province

DAVID FRANCEY: So Say We All Review by Posted by: Stuart Derdeyn, The Province

Scottish-born Francey has built a deserved reputation as one of Canada’s best singer’songwriters and he’s in particularly fine form on his ninth album. Blessed with one of those haggard-and-seductive voices that really gets under your skin, he covers a lot of ground – literally – on this 14 song collection. From stays at a Cheap Motel to rolling down the Long Long Road with Blue Skies, Blue Yonder and American Blues all popping up, he observes on the little things that uplift a downtrodden spirit time and time again. It’s a case of less-is-more in most of the songs as he sticks to vocals and guitar with occasional mandolin or banjo added in to keep as intimate as possible. Familiar though it may sound, it never falls into cliche which is hard to do in this genre.
(April 30, 2013)

David Francey So Say We All Review in Exclaim Magazine

By Kerry Doole

It can be argued that David Francey has had more impact than any old-school Canadian folk songsmith since the late great Stan Rogers. A late bloomer, he has now released ten albums that have deservedly won acclaim here (three Juno Awards) and beyond. So Say We All is one of his very best; it finds him digging deep, mining themes of depression, grief and unrequited love with genuine empathy. "These songs encompass what proved [to be] a very difficult year," he writes in the liner notes, though those tracks collected here range as far back as 1995. Some of the metaphors and locales (cheap motels, life as a road) are well worn, but it's a testimony to Francey's skill and always convincing vocal style that he can breathe new life into them. There is astute social commentary in "American Blues" ("and we run in the shadow of the power and the might") and "Bitterroot," but it's the songs forged from the soul that hit hardest. The vocal-only "Blue Yonder" (featuring Tannis Slimmon) and equally sparse closing title cut are amongst the highlights. As ever, the best players surround Francey, including string wizard Chris Coole, while the recording and mixing of Ken Friesen keep the sound clean, but never slick. This is another winner.

Original article

Right of Passage

"Right of Passage is his finest work to date...another step in David Francey's journey as one of Canada's finest singer-songwriters.” Jan Vanderhorst, Just Us
Folk

Right of Passage **** David Francey (Laker Music) He's bound to stumble at some point, isn't he? But so far, Canadian folkster David Francey has hit the bull's eye every time he's headed into the studio. Right of Passage, the two-time Juno winner's newest collection, finds Francey spinning economical, evocative tales about turning points in life: leaving places, finally telling your girl you love her, confronting the ultimate turning point of death. For the most part a quiet, reflective album, it's rooted in the everyday, the songs' spare imagery that of rain, a garden gate, Quebec City's old stone walls. Francey, as always, excels at narrative, his warm Scottish burr welcoming the listener into his own life and that of his characters. Guitar, fiddle and restrained backing vocals are among Francey's accompanists.” Patrick Langston, Ottawa Citizen

“Thirteen short songs about life's transitional moments - written, for the most part, during his recent summer gig crewing on a Great Lakes ore carrier - bear all the Francey watermarks: lyrical economy, harmony-inducing melodies, wry humour with a hint of melancholy, intimate vocal performances and tasty accompaniment. This is classic Francey - personal, evocative, a work of considerable beauty” Greg Quill, Toronto Star