Danny Michel
Valhalla
(Maple)
There’s really nothing new under Danny Michel’s sun on Valhalla, but then, why mess with a good thing? The guy’s got plenty of ideas. On the first three tracks alone he goes from wee-hours acoustic ballad (“It’s Not the End of the World”) to a peppy country-and-westernized tune (“White Lightning”) to a radio-ready pop track (“Running,” though it’s a Gwen Stefani tune). This three-song pattern roughly repeats itself through the album. The West figures prominently in the sped-up waltz of “Into the Flame.” “Midnight Train” is another potential chart song. In his studio in rural southern Ontario, Michel has spun his usual lyrical and production magic.
—Sean Flinn