L'il Andy Live at the Burdock, October 17, 2019

2019.10.17

Lil Andy 10.17.19 opening for The Larite Boys at The Burdock.

Ottawa Valley born, Montreal based Li’l Andy made a rare local appearance on a cold fall evening. The country singer’s earthy style has a taste of polish on his latest album, “All the Love Songs Lied to Us.”

The title, Andy explained, came suddenly, while eating chips one day; he knew a compelling phrase when one came to him, and Li’l Andy wondered who had used this phrase in a song before?

As many roads lead to Cohen in Andy’s world, he checked to make sure the phrase was available. He told a story about seeing Cohen in his neighbourhood, but naturally feeling daunted by the the idea of striking up a conversation with the man.

The influence of Leonard Cohen is apparent and expected for a guy who’s performed a bunch of the late song master’s entire albums live, leading a rotating cast of co-interpreters.

One of his new songs, “The Lives of Others,” has a lighthearted sound- complete with congas on the album- despite its back story of someone getting a half day of work when their father dies. Andy suggested singing along while stressing he didn’t want to sound like some jerk from a Canadian folk festival hectoring the audience into singing along.

Andy talked about being in the Yukon when he wrote “Canadian Pacific,” with its evocative “bury me not on the lone prairie” chorus. The western sojourn song is one his a fan favourite.

Li’l Andy’s deep but gentle voice suits his spare sounding approach. He played the title track off the new album, which was recorded in Montreal with a few music making friends passing through during the process. He’s not doing a full tour, but a few Ontario and Quebec dates for “All the Love Songs Lied to Us.” If Li’l Andy does hit the road for an extended tour, it will be a solid show to see.