Great Canadian Albums:
鈥淪ongs of Love and Death鈥
Keeping with our theme of Canadian and, with Monday having been St. Patrick鈥檚 Day, we highly recommend Emm Gryner鈥檚 album of Irish covers, 鈥淪ongs of Love and Death,鈥 first released on her independent label Dead Daisy Records in 2005. (Check Spotify)
Gryner, who is part Irish, chose songs by Irish musicians and avoided cliches by not including tracks by U2 or Van Morrison.
The best-known of the 11 songs is 鈥淏reathless鈥, a 2000 hit single by The Corrs. 鈥淪hining Light鈥 by Ash was a hit in the UK, but ignored here. Most tracks will seem new.
By choosing lesser-known songs, Gryner is able to make them her own. 鈥淢oorlough Shore,鈥 a traditional Irish love song dating back to the late 1800s, is the best here and features a sparse arrangement with only her vocals and guitar. Beautiful!
Gryner hails from Forest, Ont. (near Grand Bend) and has recorded 20 albums. She鈥檚 collaborated with the likes of astronaut Chris Hadfield and the late David Bowie. She鈥檚 a great Canadian artist who has yet to earn the recognition she greatly deserves.
This column was published in The Penticton Herald and Kelowna Daily Courier on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.