REVIEWED: Gabrielle Papillon - "Little Bug"
Written by Caitlin Campbell
http://www.gabriellepapillon.com/
Little
Bug is the fourth and newest album from Gabrielle Papillon, a young
singer/songwriter from Ottawa, ON. Filled with toe-tapping rhythm,
sweeping ambience, and romantic ballads, this album is a treat to the
ears on a sleepy relaxed evening.
Each
song beautifully blends into the next as Papillon’s soft, low voice
compliments her relaxed guitar. Although she’s not shy to fill her out
her harmonies with a range of strings, pianos and drums.
It’s
not a stretch to assume Papillon may have some French heritage, not
solely because of her namesake but her music has a touch of an Acadian
liveliness that you don’t find many other places. Not to mention the
beautiful Francophone serenade “Coccinelle”.
Little
Bug has melodies that ring through your head all day and leave you
humming subconsciously. She manages to blend a folk/pop/rock fusion
perfectly making her music accessible to a large audience. Delta blues
fans will be happy to hear an a capella homage to Lead Belly with “In
The Pines”. The title track about a weary traveller will keep you
hitting replay for days and is a perfect example of how Papillon can
take a simple tune and make it haunting and catchy. In “Oh My
Favourite”, she creates something that’s both joyful and mourning at the
same time, a skill that needs to be heard to be understood.
“Moonless
Nights”, another favourite from the album is a sample of her more
upbeat sound which I would love to see her expand on as she writes new
material. In “Nights”, she gives us a quick taste of her amazing
fingerwork on guitar. She’s obviously talented but humble in her
songwriting. I look forward to a possibly bolder sound as I know she’s
capable.
Gabrielle
Papillon was in town for the Halifax Pop Explosion last week, playing an in-store
at Taz Records on Oct. 18th, followed by shows at the Khyber (afternoon show) & The Company House with The Mighty Oak on Oct 20th.
Little Bug launched in Halifax on the 25th, where she shared the stage with Amelia Curran at their joint album release show at the Spatz Theatre.
http://www.gabriellepapillon.com/
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