The frontman for the Toronto based band The Dinner Is Ruined has finally put himself in the spotlight and released a solo album. Dale Morningstar’s I Grew Up On Sodom Road has a very unique sound, harking back to artists of another generation such as Leonard Cohen on “doin’ life hard” and Bob Dylan, on “kite fly high” in particular.
Most of the tracks follow the same formula: Morningstar’s eccentric lyrics accompanied by his acoustic guitar, true to the folk music style. However the recording sounds primitive–fuzzy and muted even–which is at first charming, but later becomes irritating.
For someone who’s worked with such prolific musical stars as The Tragically Hip and Bare Naked Ladies, one would think his solo album would showcase more of his musical talent. Instead this album should be bought for its comedic entertainment only. Lyrics like, "when your mother said you were special you believed her," on "like a castle blues" will make you laugh out loud as will the flooring track "c.j. the cat." Here’s the bottom line: Lyrically brilliant, musically tiresome.